Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Am I not enough for her?" Alexandra Foster grumbled as she wiggled her small head through the loose loop of the apron.

"I... don't think that's it, Lex." Her best friend spoke gently, much to Lex's annoyance.

She was 5 after all. She didn't need anyone to talk down to her.

"Plus, she's so noisy, I don't remember being this noisy ever."

Tying her long hair back the way she saw her mom do it a thousand times, Lex went to work setting the 'table', ripping open and laying out the plastic silverware on the pillow she had plopped on the floor.

The guests that were at her table were a rowdy bunch. There was Green, a small dalmatian toy. Named for the color of his collar, Lex had stolen him from another kid's happy meal. Then there was Dusty, a small, matted stuffed rabbit that flopped over limply on the floor as she passed him. She wouldn't tell anyone, but he had always been her favorite.

"Had too much to drink last night Dusty?" Lex laughed as she sat him back up, placing a construction paper menu in front of him as she did.

His table mate, and the last guest she had visiting the restaurant, made a face. Webby couldn't take away the fact that Lex had overheard too many things in her young life, but she still wished she hadn't.

"Too much milk you mean." She giggled innocently as she picked up her menu and browsed it.

"Sure, milk." Lex agreed with an eyeroll aimed at the rabbit.

From down the hall they both heard a familiar screaming, gurgling cry start up again.

"ALEXANDRA!" Her mother called as Lex felt a quick but familiar sliver of fear run down her back.

Wiggling out of her mother's apron, the young girl quickly tucked it under the single blanket she had on her bed and shot a look at Webby. The woman made a zipping motion with her mouth before Lex threw open the door to her room.

"Yeah?" Lex asked tentatively.

Over the crying of her sister, she heard her mother irritably sigh. Knowing Webby had already made herself scarce, Lex dragged herself into the living room. Normally she avoided the main room of their trailer. It always smelled of ash and the amount of bottles everywhere caught and reflected the light in ways that made her head spin. Lex expected to see her mother lounged back in the dusty and worn recliner, but instead the woman was standing, huffing impatiently as her eyes watched her oldest daughter approach. In one arm she held Hannah as the baby's face twisted and reddened with the force of her crying. Lex winced as she saw the blanket shift suddenly, the baby moving with it, as her mother quickly held out Hannah.

"Come here and hold your sister. My head's bout to explode."

Lex held her arms out, more in reaction than anything else. Her heart raced in her chest as she imagined what might happen if her little sister fell.

"I don't know how-"

"Just keep her head up and it'll be fine." Her mother said quickly, placing the baby into Lex's waiting arms.

For something so small, Hannah was quite heavy. Immediately Lex felt the strain on her arms as she adjusted her baby sister to rest in what she hoped was a more comfortable position. Looking down at the bundle in her arms, Lex didn't realize that Hannah had stopped crying. She barely was able to breathe, her eyes carefully watching to make sure she did exactly as her mom asked.

"Of course now she shuts up." Pam groaned, her hand going to pinch the bridge of her nose as she squinted at the ceiling.

Lex finally looked at her sister, shocked that her small brown eyes were now staring straight into her own. Though she was nearly a 3rd of her own size, Hannah no longer felt heavy. Lex felt her arms wrap just a slight bit tighter around the bundle within them, her breath hiccupping as her chest felt tight.

Her sister stared at her like she was the only thing in the world.

Under those eyes, Lex had never felt smaller.

She was vaguely aware of her mother walking into the kitchen as she grabbed her keys and cigarettes, mumbling something about going to spend her last dollar on some more formula. The trailer door slammed shut behind her as Lex finally felt her legs unlock. Letting out a quick cough from the dust and stale smoke that had been kicked up in her mother's rush to leave, Lex quickly hurried back into her room.

Stepping over her friends, Lex made her way to her bed, all but clutching Hannah closer to her chest. Awkwardly scooting back onto it and nearly slipping in the process, Lex noticed Webby standing in the corner of the room, her hand clutched to her chest.

"I'm supposed to keep her head up." Lex explained quietly, looking down in her arms at Hannah.

Webby didn't speak, her eyes simply growing wider as she stared at the sisters. Lex peeked up at her friend, unaware of the turmoil that was brewing in her eyes.

"She's a lot quieter up close." Lex found herself smiling as her sister let out a small and silent yawn.

"There's... 2 of you now." Her friend spoke quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.

Lex looked down into the bundle in her arms as she processed what Webby had said. She wouldn't have ever considered herself lonely, not really. She had Webby, she had Dusty and Green. There were even a couple of kids at soccer practice that she had gotten along fairly well with. At least until their mother's told them to stop hanging around her and her own mother pulled her out because she couldn't afford the team fees...

She smiled, watching as Hannah's eyes slowly closed, her head snuggling back into the crook of her older sister's arm.

There was 2 of them now.

The young girl didn't notice as her friend disappeared, murmuring a soft apology as she excused herself to go 'check on something'. Lex barely noticed as her mother came back, thundering through the trailer as she tossed what groceries she had picked up into the kitchen and turned up the tv. She didn't notice as the day turned into night, her own eyes growing heavy as Hannah continued to sleep peacefully. She blinked, keeping herself awake as she stared down at the bundle in her arms, the rest of the world falling easily away.

For the rest of the night, Lex's eyes were on her sister, making sure her head stayed up.

***

Lex's fingernails dug tightly into her scalp as she stared at the textbook in front of her.

"How is it possible I do the same thing twice and get two different numbers?!" She growled under her breath, shoving the textbook back with a huff.

Her fingers twitched at her side as her jaw ached. After paying for groceries last night, she hadn't had enough to get another pack of cigarettes.

"You're missing a variable." Hannah pointed out, seemingly materializing at Lex's side.

Lex looked down at the scribbles of equations in her notebook.

"I'm not working with variables." Lex scowled. "At least, I don't think I am..."

"Webby says we're always working with variables. We just don't see them."

Sighing, Lex loosened her fingers from her hair, feeling her head start to ache in its familiar way. She turned in her seat and looked over at her sister. Hannah had her arms folded on the small desk, looking carefully over the scribbles of numbers Lex had been working through. Quickly leaning forward, she gently ruffled the young girl's hair.

"Well, at least you got someone to tutor you in math, cause your sister is absolute shit at it." Lex smiled as Hannah pushed her hand away.

She frowned as she stared into Lex's eyes.

"They don't teach you right." She said plainly, her voice taking on a maturity that Lex knew she didn't learn from her.

"No, Banan. I just don't learn right." Lex laughed gently.

Hannah face twisted, her eyes still full of worry. Lex swiped her notebook closed, giving her full attention to the 11 year old.

"You spending the night with Webby tonight, or are we hanging out together?" Lex changed the subject with a soft smile.

Her mother always bitched whenever Hannah would bring up her imaginary friend, constantly going on about how she was cursed with one worthless kid and one crazy one. Webby had never bothered Lex though. Hannah had always received Lex's hand-me-downs. The fact that her sister was seeing her old imaginary friend almost felt flattering. If anything, she just found herself grateful that Hannah was still innocent enough to keep that imagination alive.

Maybe that meant she was at least doing something right.

"Can Ethan join us?"

Lex blinked, her head tilting slightly before she heard a familiar voice call out from the window.

"Yo, LEX! You there?"

Lex pushed her chair back, bolting to the window of their room and yanking it open.

"Keep your voice down, dipshit." Lex hissed, her eyes flicking to the front of their yard to check to make sure her mother's car was still gone.

Turning back, she was met with Ethan's stupidly familiar smirk. His hands were behind his back as he waited politely for Lex's attention.

"Relax, I checked to make sure the bitch was gone first." He shrugged, his eyes still full of mischief.

"I already told you I'm not going tonight." Lex growled, her eyes flicking back to see that Hannah had joined her at the window. The second part of her sentence died in her throat as she stared back at her friend pointedly.

"Yeah, I know. I ain't going either. Had a better idea." Ethan smiled in the low light as Lex narrowed her eyes.

"Didn't Brad specifically tell you to be there?" Lex pointed out, more than aware that if Ethan skipped out on this party, his social life was dead.

"Trust me, he won't even notice I'm missing. I slipped little Gracie a note telling her that there was a school-wide bible study happening at his house tonight."

Lex snorted as her hand covered her face. The whole senior class had been planning this party all week. Half of their grocery money came from a couple of big sales Lex was able to push with the smoke club earlier that evening. With all the shit the football team was talking about bringing during school today, Lex couldn't imagine how badly Grace would take what she found there.

It certainly wasn't about to be very Christian.

"Ethan, you absolute dick." She laughed despite feeling some amount of guilt at the prank. "You know, one day Chasity is finally going to snap and when she does, I hope she kills you first."

"I'd have it coming. Just too bad we can't be there to watch." Ethan shrugged before turning to Hannah, his voice turning gentle in an instant. "What's up Banana, you ready for game night?"

Hannah nodded quickly, a huge smile on her face as Lex looked between the two in confusion.

"What do you mean, game night?"

Ethan's smile only grew as he pulled his hands from behind his back, revealing a beat up box. In an instant, Lex realized just how much scheming had gone on behind hers. On the front of the box, in faded letters the game read: Scrabble.

Lex closed her eyes as she pinched her nose.

"So, to be clear, you two want to play a board game about knowing how to spell words with, an 11 year old," Lex pointed at Hannah as her sister scowled, "the person currently failing English, and the winner of the 2nd grade Spelling Bee?"

"You scared?" Ethan teased.

"I just think you might have an unfair advantage." Lex shot back with a dry smile.

Later, Lex hung out the window as she closed her eyes, enjoying the fresh autumn breeze. It really would've been a nice night for a party. Next to her she felt Ethan squeeze out the small opening, falling to the ground below with a soft thud.

"Think Grace has successfully shut down the fun by now?"

"Oh for sure." Ethan answered quickly, his eyes widening as Lex shot him a look to be quieter.

Checking behind her at her sister curled up asleep on her bed, Lex sighed. It had been a long time since she'd seen Hannah fall asleep with such a wide smile.

"That prude's brutally efficient at getting people in trouble." Ethan whispered, his eyes rolling as Lex smirked.

"Still salty a freshman got you suspended?"

"Nah, actually I should thank her. Was bored as shit and under constant watch so I figured I'd see if my dad needed any help at the shop. Old man offered me a job after just a day. No experience or diploma needed."

Lex blinked, impressed with how excited her friend sounded. It was about the most mature she thought she'd ever seen him.

"You can't seriously be telling me you're excited about working for a living." She teased dryly.

"Why not? Beats being trapped in a building for 8 hours not getting paid. Plus, you know with a paycheck comes being able to smoke more." Ethan grinned.

"Not around Hannah you won't." Lex warned.

"So... does that mean same time tomorrow?" He smiled mischievously as Lex felt her heart skip in her chest. She laughed breathily.

"You don't have to do that you know." Lex said after a moment, the smile falling from her face. "I know it's surprising to hear I actually like watching my sister."

"Well, maybe I want to." Ethan replied without missing a beat. "Maybe I like hanging around you two."

"In my mom's shitty ass trailer?" Lex snorted.

"Hey, anywhere you are, I'll be."

Lex smirked, reaching forward in a second to do something she had wanted to do for months. Pulling Ethan in closer by his jacket, her lips smashed against his own.

Their first kiss wasn't gentle, though neither of them were inexperienced. Like with most things, Ethan let Lex take the lead, his hand moving gently up to cup the back of her head, gently weaving his fingers through her hair.

They stayed like that for a minute. Neither giving the other space, but both knowing better than to take it much further. Lex wasn't actually sure how much time had passed, but eventually they heard the sound of tires tearing through the gravel road as they both broke apart. Her body lost its warmth as she roughly pushed Ethan away.

"Tomorrow you better bring Battleship." Lex smiled as Ethan stumbled backwards, his eyes wide. "It's Hannah's favorite game."

As Ethan continued to stare at her dumbfounded, Lex gave him a small wave and shut the window tightly, dropping the blinds as she pulled up the chair at her small desk. Flicking on a small lamp, she opened her notebook once again, staring at the equations in front of her.

Her mother crashed loudly into the living room, cursing and muttering as Lex winced. Her eyes immediately darted to check on Hannah. Confirming that she hadn't woken up, Lex sighed and turned back to her homework. The numbers quickly began blurring together, worse then they normally did, as she shoved it roughly away. Mr. Houston was usually pretty good at being at school early. Maybe after she dropped Hannah off, she would stop and visit the shop teacher, see if he had any advice on bribing the Math teacher out of the test answers.

Her fingers drummed silently on the table as she thought about what Ethan had said. Lex already knew she was playing a risky game at school. She was barely able to keep her grades above failing semester by semester. School work wasn't getting any easier and her mother kept blowing every paycheck she had with her late nights and drinking. Lex was only barely keeping food in the house with the few weed deals she was able to push. When she was able to push them.

In the kitchen there was the familiar sounds of glass breaking. Sighing, Lex filed it away to take care of in the morning. She knew she'd have to get it cleaned before Hannah woke up. The last thing either of them needed was her slicing her foot open.

Hearing her mother thud heavily to her room, drunkenly cursing, Lex closed her eyes, laying her head down on her desk. In her mind she could see the map of California that hung over their bed.

Her last thought before sleep claimed her was of the road. She'd take Hannah, she'd even take Ethan. They'd leave this stupid town and it's judgmental stares far behind. There would be no more hushed whispers of the cursed sisters, no more smelling of alcohol and ash despite scrubbing her body until her skin prickled with blood.

They'd leave, and they'd never come back.

***

There was a knock on the door of their trailer. Despite the late hour, Lex hadn't fallen asleep. She had been waiting for it.

Her stomach twisted as Hannah stirred in her sleep. Lex didn't wait for her to settle back down. She knew the knock would come again before she could.

She also knew she wouldn't be back any time soon.

Lex slid out of her jacket, the same one she had owned for years. The same one she been wearing for months now, even despite the warmer spring weather. Quietly, she threw it over Hannah. It gently landed over top of the blanket she had already snuggled further into, her sister's face scowling as her body tried to cling to the sleep that was being interrupted.

With the added weight, the scowl eventually disappeared as Hannah slowly began to drift off. Stopping for just a moment to grab her lighter and a pack of cigarettes, Lex stepped out of their shared room. She lit a cigarette, placing it in her mouth as she tossed her lighter in the trash.

The dusty smell of ash was still on her hands as her palm itched in a familiar way.

Lex looked over at her mother, passed out on the couch from yet another night of drinking. Seeing the blue and red lights flashing through the blinds of their trailer, Lex bitterly wondered if this was what the woman would finally be proud of her for.

Chapter Text

Smoke rolled overhead as the late night breeze brought in the smell of ash. It wasn't just the mall that had caught fire. There were columns of smoke rising out all over the city.

Lex watched the adults move around her warily, keeping her eyes peeled for anything that might still be lingering in the back of their minds. Deep down she knew that Wiggly's presence had been all but burned away, but the night had been long and there were several things she would rather avoid thinking about.

Possibly forever.

Next to her, Hannah was quiet. Even quieter than usual. Something was different as they entered the early hours of the morning of Saturday. Several people around them had their eyes tentatively watching the sky, still tense from the low flying aircraft from earlier. No doubt military if what the couple from earlier said was true.

"Do you really think it's over?" Becky Barnes asked quietly, her eyes flicking over and meeting Lex's before quickly looking away.

Lex scowled, checking on her little sister standing beside her, who the woman should have been more concerned about overhearing. Hannah's eyes were drawn elsewhere, staring off into the rapidly dispersing crowd of mall-goers.

"I don't know, but if anyone is prepared for riots and crazy people it's Professor Hidgens. He's one of those doomsday preppers." Emma explained quickly, her voice sounding on the edge of being irritated. "Speaking of, if we're picking up these extra people we're going to need more than my shitty Corolla."

Something in Lex's gut twisted. Her hand snaked down to find Hannah's and held it tightly. All around them were the ruins of dozens of cars, burned and smashed. Nothing was left untouched, inside or outside of Lakeside. She knew where Ethan usually parked and kept her eyes anywhere else.

A bitter laugh caught in her throat as she realized California wasn't happening any time soon.

Hannah nudged her arm, thankfully pulling Lex from her thoughts as she followed her sister's line of sight to two of the few remaining people still hanging around the parking lot. One was a tall, lanky, business man in a brown suit and next to him stood an older, shaky lady in a blue sweater. Lex recognized the woman from the Cult of Comfort, but that wasn't what had her on guard.

Lex grit her teeth, making sure to gently squeeze Hannah's hand before dropping it and marching towards the couple. They were arguing about something passionately enough that neither turned to face her, even as she drew closer. Reaching forward she elbowed her way past the man and ripped the familiar hat from the woman's hand, clenching it tightly in her fist.

"Bit early for looting ain't it?" The man raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms as he stared down at her. Next to him, the woman had her hand now clenched to her chest, staring with wide and fearful eyes at Lex.

Lex chose to focus on the man, choosing her words more carefully as she was aware that Hannah had followed her.

"Can't be looting if it belongs to me." She growled.

"I'm so sorry," The lady apologized shakily, "I didn't know, I didn't..." Her words trailed off as her eyes left Lex and settled behind her, her face shifting to horror and guilt.

Hannah grabbed Lex's arm tentatively, causing Lex to reflexively step in front of her, putting her body between her sister and one of her previous attackers.

Despite seeming disinterested before, the man recognized Lex's posture as he stepped forward. His eyes flashed dangerously as the woman seemed to grow more flustered.

"Cool your jets punk." He growled. "Don't you have parents to run off and find or something? If you think you're stealing anything else off of me-"

"They're with me." Tom rumbled from behind them, stopping the man cold. Lex smiled as she saw the fear flash in his eyes. Tom Houston could be very intimidating when he wanted to be.

A small flicker of relief fluttered to life in her chest as Tom looked down to check on both girls quickly. After a moment, his eyes seemed to fall to the hat in Lex's hand. Swallowing, he turned his attention back to the other two adults.

"Knowing Lex, she wouldn't pick a fight she couldn't win. So maybe you two should be explaining just what you were doing." He said steadily, stepping forward to stand besides Lex.

"Look man, I was just trying to see if there were any chicks here to pick up. The more desperate and scared they are, the more likely I am to score. Unfortunately all I found was Charlotte here-"

"Ted? Charlotte?! What are you two doing here?"

Rolling her eyes, Lex irritably turned to the newest interruption as she saw the rest of the group she had escaped the mall with coming up behind them.

"Thank god you're here Paul, will you get over here and help me out?! I was just trying to make some moves on some desperate woman and suddenly I'm the one being ganged up on."

Lex scowled as Ted glared childishly at her.

"Paul, Emma? You two weren't i-in the mall were you?" Charlotte asked nervously.

"No, of course not. On Black Friday? Come on." Paul frowned. "Wasn't Bill supposed to be here picking up something for Alice? Have you two seen him?"

"Bill was here? I never saw him. You don't think he... he couldn't have been still in there when it was burning, right? He would've left. He would've had to leave. He had Alice this weekend..." Charlotte spiraled as both Becky and Tom exchanged a look.

"Really? No one's going to address that this punk just tried stealing my stuff a second ago?" Ted cried as he realized the conversation was quickly moving beyond what he deemed was the biggest problem they were facing.

"I didn't steal anything. Your friend stole that hat from my sister before her and the rest of the cult tried killing us." Lex shot back, shoving the hat deep into the pocket of her jacket and out of sight.

"Cult? Killing? Just what kind of fucked up shit was going on in there?" Ted exclaimed, turning to Charlotte as she flinched and shook her head.

"It wasn't their fault." Hannah spoke softly as Lex tensed, watching all the adults turn their eyes on her.

"Oooh kay." Paul grimaced, shifting his focus to talking with his two friends.

Lex kept her eyes on Emma. Tom and Becky were both in the mall, they both had firsthand experience with fighting through the god's influence. Charlotte was there too, but her wild eyes gave Lex the impression that she was experiencing heavy denial about everything that had taken place.

Emma was different however. The shorter woman turned back to the mall as she watched the smoke rise in the distance.

"Paul, I don't care if you want to go and find your friend, but the rest of us should get moving before Hidgens goes on complete lockdown. I know he was following the news reports like we were."

"Lockdown? What do you mean lockdown? You guys heading to some sort of bunker? If so you gotta take me. Or my death is going to be on your heads."

"Your death? You don't even know what you're afraid of." Tom narrowed his eyes as Ted held up his hands in surrender.

"All I know is that if Paul's freaked out about it then I should be too." Ted admitted. "Look, if this is your full group you're going to need more than one car. And I don't know if you've noticed, but everything out here is trashed. Now I can offer up my ride, but I want your word that I get to be let in this Professor's place or whatever."

Tom and Emma exchanged a quick glance, before Emma shrugged.

"Fine. Whatever. Beck, Tom and the kids can come with me. Paul you can go with your friends and pick up Bill and Alice. I'll tell Hidgens to expect you guys to come later."

Tom put his hand on Lex's back as she blinked. Almost her entire thoughts since escaping the mall had been occupied with how she was supposed to find somewhere safe for her and Hannah to stay tonight. She hadn't expected to be invited along. Grabbing her sister's hand, Tom guided them both back to the car, unable to do much more than numbly follow along.

His hand only left her when he finally saw his son, jumping out of the car and running towards Tom with tears in his eyes.

The drive to the professor's house wasn't quiet. Tim had several questions that Tom, Emma and even Becky seemed reluctant to answer but Hannah wasn't afraid to. They talked quietly in the back seat as Lex kept her eyes outside the window. Watching.

The destruction had spread further than just the mall. It looked like the riots had made their way through the town, through the streets that were now almost completely empty. Graffiti spelled out messages of worship to the doll and the power behind it. Power had seemingly been cut everywhere as they passed building after building left completely in the dark. Occasionally they'd pass a broken window as the shattered glass reflected the dull light of the moon above. Somehow, despite the events that took place the night before, it remained a reminder that light still had to exist somewhere. Emma drove slowly with the headlights off. Lex watched the shadows carefully, expecting to see the same faint green glow that she saw in the eyes of all the shoppers, watching them from the darkest corners of the street.

Every once and awhile she would see movement. A woman dashing across the alley, a group looking up and watching them with narrowed eyes. She pulled the hood of her jacket up, making sure to lean forward just enough to block Hannah from any straying eyes. She could feel Becky's eyes on her, worriedly watching from the other side of Tim. Though she never spoke, the nurse leaned forward as well, keeping watch on the other side of the car.

Lex tried to memorize the streets they turned on. The path they took. Just all that had been destroyed along the way. Part of her couldn't help but admire just how fast everything had fallen apart. How easy it was to tear down everything that had been built.

Though, even she could admit that destruction wasn't supposed to come at the cost of tearing each other apart.

Her heart beat fast in her chest. The night was over. It was Saturday. Why did that feel... wrong? Flashes of memory flipped quickly through her head. The pressure against her wrists as she was dragged into the food court. The spray of blood from Frank's neck. The dull thuds of kicking as-

Lex dug her nails into her hand hard enough to cause a sharp and sudden pain. It pulled her from the memories that no longer even felt like her own. It felt like there was 100 different versions of the same awful night in her head and Lex didn't want to relive any of them. Her head thudded in pain as Hannah's hand found her own and held it tight.

Emma cleared her throat, breaking the silence that had fallen over the car.

"Almost there." She announced quietly, turning her head slightly to face everyone. "Now Hidge loves me, but he's a bit... weird. You guys let me do all the talking, got it?"

In the dull light of the moon, Lex realized what she had missed. Ahead a large property loomed against the smokey night.

There were quiet murmurs of agreement through the car as Lex squeezed Hannah's hand tighter. They may have made it out of the mall, the shopping day from hell may have finally rolled over, but that didn't mean the night was done with them yet.

***

After a thorough inspection of their persons, and a completely abnormal amount of intense eye contact, Lex found herself stumbling out the back door of a literal mansion. She barely noticed the cool night air as she stood on the spacious balcony that existed off the already massive kitchen. Her jaw ached as she dug around in the pocket of her jacket. With a growl, she realized that the pack of cigarettes she normally kept there had been confiscated earlier that night.

Cursing under her breath, Lex moved over to the railing, leaning on it as she looked over the rest of the property that surrounded her. Her eyes scanned the horizon for any sign of movement, any hint of the wild eyes of the people they had all grown up next to. People who had so quickly fallen to mania over an impossible to believe 'god'.

She didn't know why she had hoped that burning the mall down would fix them, would fix this cursed town. Somewhere in the distance Lex heard the sound of glass shattering.

Did all the destruction fix whatever they had missing in them? Did they still even believe that the doll could fill the holes they had in their life? Or were they all so far gone that the destruction and violence was all they had left?

Was it all she had left?

Lex's hand dug into the railing as the sharp, cold, November air helped her think more clearly. She would have to make sure Hannah stayed inside. Despite the towering walls of the security fence Hidgens had built, Lex knew that nothing would be able to fully keep those fanatics out.

If they had a reason, they'd make their way inside eventually.

With that thought and the sickening feeling growing inside her gut, Lex felt her legs grow weak. She carefully sat at the edge of the balcony, letting her legs swing off the side as she sat under the same railing she had been leaning against earlier. Her exhaustion chased her own fast heartbeat as she felt her blinks grow slower. Inside, she could still hear Ted's annoying voice boasting about something probably equally as annoying. The moment he had broken into the professor's liquor supply, Lex had made sure to send the kids downstairs to where they would be sleeping for the night.

They were still waiting for 2 others to arrive. Apparently Bill had needed to run home to pick up his daughter and Ted had, unsurprisingly, convinced Paul that they didn't need to wait. Lex found herself watching out for them carefully, wondering just how anyone was supposed to make it through a town that had all but been destroyed. With another long blink that felt more like she had closed her eyes, Lex figured she'd probably be asleep by then.

Her hands tightened into fists as another thought occurred to her.

Maybe she'd be awake by then.

That, somehow, tonight had all been one terrible, stress induced nightmare. She'd wake up in the same shitty bed she had slept in for 18 years. In the same small room she shared with Hannah. Preparing herself to clock in the same way she did every day, just trying to scrape up enough money to leave it all behind.

Lex looked down at her hands. There was an old saying that she had heard that said you were supposed to do that when you were dreaming. The problem was, Lex didn't know just what she was supposed to be looking for. All she saw were the same, useless hands she had always had. The same hands that had held a magic doll. The same hands that held and used a gun for the first time that night.

The same ones that held Ethan's hands.

Though it felt like she did, Lex didn't blink when a vibrant white spider materialized in her palm. Her head shook on instinct as her eyes closed tight. Immediately the scratchy, light feeling of insect legs left her palm, but this time Lex knew the visit wasn't done.

"Lexi?"

Lex sighed, angrily wiping her eyes against her jacket, feeling them burn not for the first time that night. She wanted to chase the vision away, wave it off as she did all the times before.

Instead, she barely moved, finally feeling the icy bite of winter enter her bones.

The night air no longer a comfort, Lex felt herself grow cold.

"You tried to warn Hannah, about what was going to happen... didn't you?"

Maybe this was also just part of the nightmare. Maybe she hadn't spoken at all.

"Not just Hannah." Webby answered gently as Lex stared into the city.

In her head she had visions of Frank's blood splattering across the tiles she had walked over thousands of times. Of the endless emptiness she had somehow reached through until she felt the cold metal of the gun the general had given her. Of the creep who had delivered with a smile the very dolls that had caused all of this to begin with.

"You don't listen to me as much anymore." Her friend continued sadly.

The smoke from the mall was still gently rising into the air, slowly causing the night to grow darker as it blocked what little light came from the moon. Lex felt a chuckle catch in her chest.

"So why try again now?" She asked dryly.

Webby walked over and sat on the edge of the porch right next to Lex. The soft white glow that always emanated off of her body seemed unable to affect the world around her as the darkness of the night still clung to Lex's body like a shroud.

Lex didn't look at her, her eyes fixed forward. She knew Webby hadn't changed at all. That she still looked the exact same as she did all those years ago.

"Because I know you need answers." Webby answered plainly.

Her eyes burning, Lex didn't have the strength to fight them back anymore. Webby had always been careful to show only when Lex was alone.

"Why us?" She asked weakly.

"Hatchetfield has always been a magnet for my siblings-"

"Fuck this town," Lex interjected angrily, "I want to know why Hannah is affected by all of this. Why does she have to be caught up in the middle of it?"

Lex could feel Webby staring at her. She clung to the irritation, wiping furiously at her eyes as she tried to fill the ache in her chest with the anger that had risen.

"You're caught up in it as well Lexi." Webby said gently.

"That's not what I asked."

The woman didn't speak, merely nodding at Lex's request.

"She's unique." Webby admitted hesitantly, looking back into the sky beyond. "You both are."

Waving her hand, a single glowing dot appeared in the space in front of them. As Lex stared at it, it seemed to flicker in the air, appearing to be in front of them and appearing to be in a space beyond them all at the same time. The illusion reminded Lex of earlier that night, when the general had appeared to her.

Her heart sank as she realized it may not have been just an illusion. That she wasn't lucky enough to have it be just some near-death hallucination.

"Powers like what you and your sister have are not meant to appear in pairs." Webby continued, conjuring another light next to the first. It flickered in an opposite frequency to the first, neither seeming to exist next to each other. "The Black and White interacts with your dimension in many different ways. Most of the time it needs to be directly manipulated to make any sort of noticeable changes in your world. Not always though."

As Lex watched, the glowing points of light stretched and thinned, becoming nearly invisible lines that eventually disappeared into nothing.

"Sometimes loose threads from each dimension will weave themselves together, forming a connection. Giving people or places powers they normally wouldn't. To have 2 of those threads connect so closely to each other..."

"More shit luck." Lex filled in the silence, shaking her head. "Wasn't enough that I was born screwed, it just had to fuck with Hannah too."

Webby was quiet, her eyes full of thought as she shifted uncomfortably.

"I've always been more aware of those connections than my siblings, but I knew right away that you were different. You were so connected to the Black and White, a dimension so far separated from your own. And yet it felt like your world was still waiting for something else to come along. As if your connection was... incomplete."

Lex felt her heart sink, to her own irritation. Something had been wrong with her from the very beginning. It wasn't like that was anything she hadn't heard thrown at her before. Her fists clenched tighter at her side as she felt her dull nails began to break skin.

Almost as if realizing Lex's reaction, Webby leaned in closer, bumping her shoulder in the familiar and friendly way she used to.

"When I finally got around to investigating why that was, you were already 3 years old."

Lex made a face, her shoulder still feeling warm from where Webby had touched it.

"Just in time to start hearing how much of a pain in the ass I was to my dead-beat mother." Lex only half-joked, her fists unclenching.

"You were a kid." Webby said gently.

"Not for very long." Lex mumbled back, her shoulders feeling heavy.

In the silence that followed that statement, Lex found herself picking at her jeans. She flicked dried flecks of blood from the worn and tattered denim, not knowing exactly whose it was. A flicker of a memory crossed her mind, and Lex found herself too tired to fight it. She crashed into Webby's side, her head resting in the crook of the woman's neck, just the way it used to when she was younger.

Webby froze for just a moment, startled by Lex's suddenness, before gently leaning back into the teen, her head resting on top of Lex's own. Her thoughts were cut short, the words she had prepared choked in the back of her throat as Lex let down her guard for the first time in several, long, years.

Instead of talk of her siblings, instead of focusing on the pressing concerns at the front of both of their minds, Webby chose to play a familiar game.

Lifting her hand slightly, her powers let them both see a brilliant white horse shimmering in the distance, between the trees at the edge of Hidgens' property. On its head, catching only the light reflecting from its coat, was a stark black horn.

Lex laughed, the familiar image pulling itself almost exactly from the hazy memories of her youth.

"You know who would love this? Dusty." Lex asked and answered as Webby smiled. "He always said unicorns were never real." She chuckled, her eyes closing as she pictured the beat-up rabbit that she used to drag around with her everywhere.

Her heart ached just slightly as she remembered Hannah coming home from school, telling her through tears that some bullies had stolen him, throwing him off a bridge that morning. Her little sister was nearly inconsolable, worried that Lex would hate her for losing him. Not realizing just how relieved she was to hear that they hadn't just hurt Hannah instead.

"Who says he can't be here to see it?" Webby asked simply, a smile in her voice.

Lex blinked, looking down at her hand as she realized what her friend had suggested. It hadn't been the first time Webby had suggested it either. A familiar game came to mind as Lex remembered the way she had reached out for the gun the general had given her.

Dusty was familiar. He was her oldest toy. Lex could even remember the way he used to smell. Always of damp cigarettes and dust, unfortunately a byproduct of anything living so closely to her mother.

Closing her eyes, Lex couldn't help but feel silly as she lifted her hand up, picturing the beat-up stuffed animal she remembered. She could feel the rough texture of his matted fur in the palm of her hand. After a moment, the texture became more than just a memory, the weight sinking her hand slightly as she pulled backwards, a small and familiar object materializing in her grip. It flopped forward, two limp ears waving weakly in the breeze as Lex found herself face to face with yet another old friend.

Lex brought her other hand up to support him, holding the rabbit out in front of them both. Dusty had definitely seen better days.

"One bender too many buddy?" She smiled, moving her hand to gently swipe his ears out of his face.

Despite being dirtier than she last remembered, Dusty had no rips or tears. He was exactly the same as the day Hannah had lost him.

Staring at the stuffed animal in her hands, Lex felt the smile slowly slip away from her face. With a sigh, Dusty fell with her arm, Lex leaving him off to her side as she pushed up and away from Webby.

"I shouldn't have given Hannah that stupid doll." Lex said stiffly. "If I hadn't forced her to hold onto it, then maybe she wouldn't have had to see all those awful fucking things. They would've just left her alone."

Silently another possibility flashed in her mind. If there hadn't still been one Wiggly left in the store after the riots, maybe Frank, or even Ethan...

Maybe they would still be-

"Or maybe they would've just killed you and her both." Webby answered, cutting Lex off from the start of that spiral.

Instead of fighting against it, Lex listened to her oldest friend. Hannah and her had both survived the night. They were still together.

That's all Lex knew how to ask for.

She looked down at the stuffed rabbit at her side, lifting him up gently to sit in her lap as she wrapped both her arms around him. The unicorn in the distance flickered and vanished as Lex supposed Dusty would always remain a skeptic.

"He's not gone, is he?" Lex asked after a moment, her answer coming silently in the way that Webby tensed.

"No." Webby confirmed quietly. "My brother, he spent decades planning this. He's always been bored of Drowsy Town. Always loved playing with the humans more. It was only when your military sent a human directly to him that Wiggly figured out just how much fun he could really be having."

"That's his idea of fun?" Lex asked dryly, recalling the blood stained floors of the mall they had escaped from.

"That was merely a side effect of the game he actually wants to play." Webby shook her head, swallowing tightly. Her eyes were far away.

In all the time Lex had known the woman, she couldn't recall ever seeing her afraid.

Looking at Webby now, Lex could tell that her friend was terrified.

"But he was stopped. His game didn't get started and his birth will have to wait even longer." Webby concluded, looking over at Lex with a smile. "That's because of you Lexi."

"No." Lex laughed bitterly. "That's because of Becky. She's the one that actually shot his prophet or whatever."

"You set the events of the night in motion. You didn't give up, not on yourself or those you care about-"

"I yelled at my old shop teacher and stopped a bunch of lunatics from slicing my sister open." Lex argued back, her hands clenching.

Webby smiled patiently. She had always been patient with Lex.

"You never did know how to take a compliment." She teased gently as Lex's stony face broke.

"My mother wasn't one to hand them out."

"Your mom's a bitch." Webby shrugged.

That finally broke her. Lex felt her chest unbuckle as she laughed. Hard. Next to her Webby also chuckled. The two laughed the way they used to, when they would giggle into the night under the cover of Lex's blanket the moment they were sure Pam was asleep.

Unfortunately, as with all good things in Lex's life, it didn't last.

Webby was the one to hear it first. The sounds of coordinated shouting, followed by a shriek that was closer than either of them expected it to be. Lex didn't recognize any of the voices.

She suddenly remembered that they had been waiting on two others to arrive.

Lex looked over at Webby before checking down at the 12 foot drop from the balcony to the yard below. She knew the fastest way to figure out what was going on was dropping. Webby had only a quick moment to gently touch her shoulder, quickly whispering out a quick 'Go', before she found herself already moving.

Already having jumped.

Lex didn't know if it was the adrenaline keeping her from feeling the impact of the ground beneath her, or if the years of sneaking out through Hatchetfield at night had finally paid off. Her legs still were strong underneath her as her hands tightened around Dusty, taking off to the front of the house as she listened closely.

"Let her go!" A deep voice called, the panic and fear more than evident in its demand.

"Who are you guys?! Dad what's going on?"

"Keep her still! Don't let her-"

Lex didn't hear the rest of the instructions as she froze, ducking low in the well-trimmed hedges that lined the path leading up to the front door. Ahead of her, in the low light of the street lamp Hidgens still had powered from the generator, there were 5 people she knew hadn't been around when they first arrived. Two adults held a teenage girl by the arms as she struggled against them, her eyes wild and fearful. Beside them, two men fought over control over a small knife. The taller man's eyes flicked over frequently to check on who Lex supposed was his daughter.

His distraction was ultimately his undoing as the other man successfully slipped the blade from the father's grasp. In one smooth motion he flicked the blade out and jabbed it straight towards the other man's neck-

Chapter Text

"Hey! Idiots!" Lex called out loudly, stepping out from the bushes and onto the path. She made sure to visibly move Dusty behind her back.

At once, the two people holding the girl snapped their heads in her direction. Their leader, the one nearly pressing his knife into the man's throat, pulled it back slowly. He kept it pointed out in his direction as the man looked quickly over at his daughter, her breathing rapid and shallow, her eyes unfocused.

"Alice, just breathe it's-"

"Shut it!" The man with the knife shouted, his elbow falling as he drove it into his ribs, effectively silencing him as he crumpled to the ground.

"DAD!" The girl shouted before one her attackers wrapped a hand over her mouth.

The leader whipped towards Lex, his knife now held out in her direction.

"You." He snarled. "What's behind your back?!"

Lex quickly checked to make sure the man was still breathing before looking over at the girl being currently restrained. Her panicked eyes darted between Lex and her father.

In the dull yellow light, Lex realized she looked an awful lot like herself.

She adjusted the stuffed rabbit behind her back, as if she was trying to hide him further.

"My baby sister, she just wants a doll more than anything-"

"She has a Wiggly!" One of the girl's attackers cried, dropping her hold as she lunged at Lex wildly.

As she moved to defend herself, the leader of their group quickly grabbed the woman's jacket, pulling her to the ground as she tried to dash past him.

"Idiot." He snarled, jabbing the knife in the woman's direction. "Stand up and grab the heretic. I'll take care of this one."

Scrambling to her feet the crazed woman roughly grabbed the girl before she was able to slip out from the other's grasp, wincing as her arms were now being tightly twisted behind her back.

Lex grimaced.

Their leader took another step forward, the boxcutter he was holding looking eerily familiar as Lex realized with some horror that his arms and hands were covered in angry red burns.

A flash of memory entered her head as she remembered the same knife slicing through Frank's throat-

"Step forward and kneel or face Wiggly's divine judgement!" The leader commanded Lex as her eyes flicked behind her, hoping that the commotion had drawn someone's attention.

She did as she was told, purposefully keeping her head down as her hood hid most of her features. Slowly, she got down on one knee, watching the girl carefully as she saw her try to call out and shake her head. Lex's eyes flicked to the man on the ground, his hand wrapped around his abdomen as he coughed violently. He crawled to his knees, his eyes fixed on his daughter.

Lex knew it would take him too long to get up.

"Look please, I don't want any trouble. I'm just trying to get to my sister, make sure she's ok." Lex pleaded.

The man approaching her slowly dropped the knife back to his side, reaching forward and ripping Lex's hood from her face. His eyes flashed with recognition and anger.

Lex moved quickly, dropping Dusty as she reached to grab the boxcutter from the his hand, standing up and rushing forward as she used her bodyweight to throw him off balance. A gunshot rang out through the night. Out of the corner of her eye, Lex saw crimson blood spatter against the brick path.

Successfully wrestling the weapon out of the man's hand while he was surprised, Lex quickly flicked the blade out as far as it would go, driving it deep into his shoulder. Another shot rang out, drowning the man's howl of pain as he fell to the ground. With him down, Lex turned her attention to where the gunshots had come from. Rushing down the path from the house, Tom quickly made his way over to check on Lex as Paul rushed over to Bill.

Alice was already kneeling next to her father as her former attackers lay on the ground, unmoving.

"Are you ok?" Tom called her attention back, his hand falling protectively on her back.

Wincing, Lex quickly ducked away from the contact. Her heart beat loudly in her chest as her skin burned where he had touched her. She could suddenly feel the grip of the men who had held her hostage earlier that night.

"I'm fine." She hissed stiffly, shoving the memory away as she moved to swipe up Dusty from where he had fallen.

The moment she turned her back, Lex heard one more shot fire off. Quickly whipping around, she turned to see the man she had stabbed was gone. At the edge of the property she could barely make out his form as he slipped through the gate and ran off into the night. Tom growled, lowering the general's gun as his eyes flicked around them suspiciously.

"Damn it. Paul, is your friend alright?" He called over his shoulder as he slipped the gun back into his belt and turned to face the others.

"I'm ok." The man from before called weakly, getting to his feet with the help of his daughter and friend.

They talked quietly as Lex's eyes fell back on the girl. She had stumbled back, away from the adults, her eyes still as wild as they had been when she was being restrained. Her entire body shook as she crossed her arms tightly across her stomach. Her nails dug deep into the skin on her arms as she stared at the ground.

At her feet were the two people who had attacked her, their blood starting to pool into the grooves of the brick below them.

Shoving the old rabbit securely into her jacket, Lex moved towards her.

"Hey, stop looking at them." She growled sternly. The girl flinched just slightly as Lex grabbed her shoulders, turning her to face towards the house.

Her entire body was trembling.

"Listen to my voice alright? Keep your eyes on the ground. It's not going to move." Lex said a bit more gently, feeling a small bit of relief as the girl listened to her.

She made sure they walked slowly, carefully. Lex was familiar with attacks like this, having guided Hannah through several before. Anything too sudden could pull her back-

"Wait, stop! Where are you going with her?!" The girl's father called out loudly as Lex felt the girl jump, her breath hiccupping.

Lex turned around and glared at him, her arms still gently on Alice's shoulders.

"Inside? Where it's warm? And she doesn't have to get through a panic attack out here where everything just happened?" Lex hissed back as she noticed Alice staring at her with wide eyes.

"Bill, it's fine." Paul said quickly as the man looked between his friend and Lex worriedly.

Lex purposefully ignored him as she moved to quickly get them inside. Thankfully, she found that Hidgens was one of those stuffy rich people who kept a bench right inside the entryway. Guiding Alice to sit down, Lex awkwardly sat next to her, making sure to keep her arm wrapped around her back. Slowly, her full body shakes turned into small shivers.

"Thanks." She said softly, startling Lex out of her own thoughts.

"For what?" Lex asked, trying to think what she possibly did besides almost getting herself killed right along with them.

"Distracting them." Alice answered. "They were... crazy. They just kept saying something about some asshole who ruined their god's plans or whatever."

"Crazy's an understatement." Lex agreed, her stomach flipping.

She remembered the burns running along the man's arms, remembered the box cutter he had wielded. The same one that had been held to her own throat.

They were looking for a heretic.

They were looking for her.

Alice looked around them curiously, her eyes finally seeming to calm as she swallowed anxiously.

"Where are we?"

"Some weird professor's house." Lex croaked past the knot in her throat. "Emma knows him apparently."

"Who's Emma?"

"Fuck if I know." Lex answered plainly, leaning back against the wall as she felt her adrenaline finally start to wane. Taking a deep breath, she stiffly stood up. "Come on. I don't want to be here when they come back inside and try to ask how we're doing.

A short while later, Lex slid a glass of water in front of Alice as she leaned heavily against the counter.

"Your name's Lex?"

"It's what I go by." Lex shrugged, drumming her fingers on the counter. Her mind was still on the conversation she had earlier.

The one she had with Webby.

Another impossibility. Another thing she wasn't able to ignore. After all, just like with the gun earlier, Lex had the proof tucked into her jacket. Another old friend that was supposed to be gone for good.

"I swear I know you from somewhere." Alice continued, undeterred by the idea that maybe Lex wasn't in a chatty mood. "You go to Hatchetfield High, right?"

"Not anymore." Lex said quickly. She pushed herself off the island and jumped back onto a nearby countertop, crossing her legs on the marble as she stared at the other teen.

It was always fun watching people figure it out.

After a moment, Alice's eyes widened.

"Last name's Foster, right?" She asked. "Lex Foster."

"Do you want a prize or something?"

"You were in the grade above me! I think you knew my friend Ziggy, or my girlfriend Deb."

Lex's unexpected laugh caught in her throat. She looked at the girl in front of her, dressed in a tight pink sweater and her nails done in bright colors.

"Didn't take you for a stoner, princess." Lex chuckled as Alice's eyes widened. "Unless you just smoke for your anxiety."

"I don't smoke." Alice said quickly, irritation now visible on her face. "And I'm not a princess."

Lex watched her with mild amusement, her arms folding gently on her lap as she leaned forward.

"Not like I'm judging. I know it can help. Just like I know staring at 2 dead bodies doesn't." Lex shrugged. "I'd kill for a joint myself if I thought this weird professor had any."

Alice huffed, looking down at the cup of water left untouched in front of her.

"Yeah, well, after tonight maybe I'll just pick up drinking or something." She said plainly, leaving it as she moved to open the fridge Lex was sitting next to. "Got any recommendations?"

"I don't drink."

Alice tilted her head around the fridge door as she stared at Lex. It wasn't anything new. Everyone always had the same reaction.

"But you smoke?"

"Grow up with an alcoholic as a mother and tell me if you can stand the smell of beer." Lex replied stiffly.

Something in what she said must've caused Alice to rethink her plan as she quietly closed the fridge door and moved back to the island. Reaching over and grabbing the water Lex had got her, she held it loosely in her hands. For a moment, Lex thought she almost looked apologetic.

"My dad says you guys were all in the mall." Alice said softly, looking down into her cup. "I think I heard him talking with Paul... they said a lot of people died."

"Not really feeling like reliving that right now." Lex warned, recognizing the question behind the words.

"Right..."

Folding her hands under her chin, Lex closed her eyes. Alice seemed calmer than she had before. Just as soon as the others came back inside she could slip away-

"Alice?!" Bill's voice shot down the hallways as Lex heard the front door open and close with a slam.

Alice winced at the noise as her father limped down the hallway and wrapped her in a tight hug. Trailing behind him was Paul, Tom and Hidgens. Lex watched them all with only one eye half open.

"Dad, get off." Alice complained as Bill backed away gently. He still had his hand clutched to his ribs as he looked her over.

"They didn't hurt you, did they?" He asked quickly, grabbing her wrists as he inspected them.

"No. I'm fine." Alice sighed. "I was just a little freaked out."

"Oh thank God." Bill breathed as Paul gently patted his back.

Hidgens moved to quickly inspect the glass Alice had been drinking out of, examining it closely before deeming it unimportant as he adjusted the shotgun he had slung over his shoulder.

Lex watched him carefully, before turning to look at Tom. Her former shop teacher's shoulders were back, the gun she had given him earlier that night still tucked away into his belt.

"I did a sweep of the perimeter. It seems like wherever that last one skedaddled off too, he's long gone from here." Hidgens shrugged. "Whatever is causing this mania doesn't seem to override the human instinct for survival."

Lex sniffed, all the eyes of the room landing on her.

"Tell that to the people who chose to burn to death in that stupid mall."

"Right." Hidgens agreed as he tapped his chin in thought. "Perhaps being so close to the object of their desire does in fact warp that instinct. So long as none of you are harboring a, Wiggly, then we should be safe to operate with standard scare tactics-"

"But those guys weren't looking for a doll. Well, not at first." Alice spoke up, thankfully drawing all attention from Lex as her heart dropped. "They were looking for a person. I think they wanted revenge."

Lex dropped her arms as she sat up, a familiar fear running down her back. It didn't take much for her to figure it out, to put the pieces together. If any of the survivors learned the truth, she wouldn't be allowed to stay.

They wouldn't be safe.

She barely heard as the conversation continued, her mind quickly jumping to try and think of where they would even go. She could grab Hannah and try and make it home, but how safe would her mother's trailer even be-

Lex felt a hand on her shoulder, stopping her thoughts from racing for just a moment as she looked over to see Alice staring at her. At some point she must've slid off the counter, finding herself now standing in the middle of the kitchen.

"Are you ok?" Alice whispered, quickly plucking her hand away as Lex glared down at it.

"Fine." Lex answered quickly.

She looked around and realized that Paul, Bill and Hidgens had all moved out of the kitchen. Tom was the only one still around, his eyes watching the girls carefully.

"Kid's room is downstairs. 4th room on the right. Professor said it's a storage room or something." Tom rumbled, his arms crossing as Alice looked between Tom and Lex hesitantly.

"Right. Thanks..." Alice said stiffly. "I'll, uh, see you down there?" She turned and asked Lex.

"Right behind you." Lex rolled her eyes, eager to make sure the girl didn't run her mouth any more than necessary.

They started to make their way out of the kitchen, before Lex heard Tom clear his throat awkwardly.

"Wait. Lex. I want to talk to you." He called out as Lex obediently stopped.

Alice continued moving down the hallway, heading for the stairs in the distance as she seemingly didn't hear. Maybe she didn't care. Lex watched her go with a slight bit of jealously, her shoulders slouched back as she rolled her eyes.

It was now, officially, too many people that had wanted to talk with her today.

Taking a deep breath, she turned back around, tilting her head as she raised an eyebrow in invitation. Tom stared at her for a moment before realizing she wasn't moving any closer. From his belt he pulled the general's gun and placed it on the counter.

"We're going to have to teach you to properly hold and shoot this thing." Tom started simply, looking down at the weapon. "Hurts like a bitch if you fire it wrong and it catches your hand."

"Ok? I'll look up some lessons on the internet or whatever. If it ever comes back on." Lex shrugged. "I'm sure there are plenty of gun nuts willing to-"

"I'll be teaching you." Tom said plainly. "That's not uh, not what I wanted to talk about. I wanted to ask, how you're... doing."

Lex felt a smirk grow on her face as she watched her former shop teacher struggle to find the words.

"How I'm doing?" She teased dryly.

"Come on Lex, I'm trying here." Tom sighed as he rubbed his face and leaned against the counter.

"I don't know Mr. Houston, how do you think I'm doing?" Lex shot back sarcastically, adjusting her weight as she stood there impatiently.

"I think it's really clear you've never held a gun before in your life, but you still held it against me like you were ready to use it."

Lex bit her cheek as she looked away from his intense stare.

"So I was thinking, maybe you had." Tom finished, resigning himself to pulling the information he wanted out of her.

"So? I can add murder to my resume now. Right along with arson, drug dealing, assault." Lex listed lazily. "Seems like everyone was exactly right about me." She shrugged, still unable to meet Tom's eyes.

With a sigh, he slid the gun off the counter and back into his belt loop.

"Lex, you look in a mirror lately?" He asked quickly, stepping around the counter as he approached her.

"Sure. I made sure to check my eyeliner in the mall while it was burning down around us." Lex rolled her eyes, freezing as she felt Tom put his hands on her shoulders.

Instead of moving her to face him, he spun her around to face the stainless steel of the refrigerator behind her. In its glossy reflection, Lex's eyes immediately fell to her throat.

There was nowhere else to look.

It stared back at her, an angry red with spotting of deep bruised purple. Her face didn't look much better. Her left eye was almost swollen shut by the cut and bruising on her temple. The last remaining adrenaline from the night finally left her as she stared at her reflection. The pain came in quickly after, along with a terrifying realization.

She had nearly died.

Tom gently let her shoulders go as he stepped back.

"Becky said she wants to do a check-up on you tomorrow. Something about the side effects of strangulation or something."

Lex's hand gently moved up to touch her neck, wincing as she realized how sore it was. She pulled up the collar on her shirt, burying the injury as she turned back to Tom.

"She needs to look over Hannah first." She growled, trying to forget what she had just seen. "I don't know what any of those assholes did to her while I wasn't around."

For a moment, Tom's eyes flashed with guilt. He looked away quickly before shrugging.

"If it makes you more comfortable." He agreed, still avoiding her eyes.

"Am I good to go? Or did you have another thing you wanted to 'talk' about?"

"No. I suppose that's it." Tom said stiffly as Lex immediately turned to leave.

She hadn't taken more than a few steps before she heard him speak again.

"Night, Lex." He called out gently enough to stop Lex cold.

Frowning, she turned around to see him staring at her, his eyes wide and focused. As if he was waiting for something.

"Goodnight, Mr. Houston." Lex replied awkwardly.

Tom's eyes lit up just slightly as a small smile appeared on his face. Before Lex could dig too deeply into it, she pulled up her hood and quickly turned back down the hallway.

***

Lex found herself standing outside of a closed door. Her eyes fell to the handle, her body aching slightly as she reached forward and grabbed it. For a moment she paused, hearing the soft laughter of her sister and Tim in the room beyond. Her heart thudded dully in her chest as she realized how long it had been since she had heard Hannah sound so excited.

Checking that Dusty was still safely tucked away in the side of her jacket, Lex took a deep breath.

Opening up the door the rest of the way, she got her first glimpse of where she'd be staying for the foreseeable future. The room beyond was the size of a small bedroom, almost completely barren besides several shelves that outlined the walls, stacked full of canned goods and bottled water of all sizes. On the ground there were several sleeping mats. 3 of them had already been spread out and claimed by Tim, Hannah and the newcomer, Alice. The latter stared at her with wide eyes as Hannah's face split into a toothy smile.

"Lexi!" She exclaimed as Tim gave her a small and nervous wave.

"This the party room then?" Lex shrugged, bending down to swipe up the last unclaimed roll on the floor. "World's gone to shit so we aren't listening to a bed time anymore?"

Tim looked between Hannah and Lex with concern.

"Relax, I won't tell your dad." Lex shot him a quick smile as she watched his shoulders visibly relax. Seeing the kids eyes on her, she smirked, turning to face Alice. "You, on the other hand, are going to be in massive trouble when I tell your dad you were up, past 10 p.m on a school night."

Successfully earning a chuckle from her audience, Lex raised her eyebrow at Alice, hoping the other would get the hint to play along.

"It's Thanksgiving Break." Alice said dryly, her eyes flicking over to check the younger kid's reactions as they both snickered to each other. "And a Saturday."

"Excuses. How do you possibly expect to be a successful drop-out with an attitude like that?" Lex shot back dryly, throwing out her sleeping bag next to Hannah's as she flopped down on the floor and pulled her sister into a tight side-hug.

Hannah was getting to the age that normally any sort of public physical affection had her fighting back. Tonight however, she almost happily melted into Lex's arms.

"My dad says that kids who joke about dropping out aren't nearly as cool as they pretend to be." Tim spoke up confidently.

"Ethan was." Hannah pointed out quietly.

Lex felt like the air had been punched from her lungs.

Remembering the hat she had stolen back earlier that night, Lex reached into her jacket pocket, feeling Dusty shift slightly as she pulled out Ethan's 'magic' hat.

"The coolest." Lex agreed quietly, looking down at the worn piece of shit her boyfriend had probably snatched from the lost and found that morning.

Painfully swallowing down the knot in her throat, she gently placed the hat back on Hannah's head, quickly pulling the bill down below her sister's eyes as she reached up to swipe at her own, fixing her face the best she could.

"And a cool dude like Ethan would be telling you all to get some sleep." Lex continued with a more believable smile, looking over her sister's head at Tim.

He nodded politely, smiling quickly at Hannah as if they had shared some sort of joke before flopping onto his back. Lex hid her smile behind her hand as Hannah smiled widely back, flicking the hat's bill up and back.

Before she got comfortable on her own roll, Lex gently tapped Hannah on the top of her head, pulling her sister's attention.

"Hey, got a surprise for you." Lex whispered, knowing that both Alice and Tim would hear her regardless.

That wasn't part of the fun though.

Hannah stared at her blankly as Lex slowly reached into her jacket, making sure to keep the stuffed animal hidden.

"I was out on the back porch when a certain someone stopped by to drop off something." Lex explained, pulling the rabbit out and dropping him in Hannah's lap.

"Dusty!" She exclaimed, her genuine smile and excitement filling something hollow that had been growing inside of Lex's chest.

"I figured I owed you a stuffed toy that didn't try and take over the world tonight." Lex said gently, watching Hannah squeeze the rabbit tightly before she held him out to examine him.

As Hannah inspected Dusty in the same way she had earlier, Lex looked over and caught Alice watching them both curiously. Her eyes widened before she quickly looked away, busying herself with her phone.

The one Lex knew had no service.

After a moment, Lex turned back. Hannah was holding Dusty out to her.

"You should keep him tonight." Hannah whispered gently.

Smiling, Lex pushed the rabbit back into her sisters chest.

"Nah, my arms will be too full to hold him." Lex shrugged, enjoying the way her sister's brow furrowed.

"With what?"

"With... this." She smirked, reaching over and bringing Hannah into her lap. She wrapped her arms around the girl's chest, feeling her giggle as she squeezed tight.

Resting her chin on Hannah's head, Lex closed her eyes, letting go of the tension she had held in her shoulders and back.

Almost as if finally given permission, her whole body began to ache as she opened her eyes and caught a glimpse of the bruises now forming on her wrists. Gently shifting so her sleeves fell back to cover them, she loosened her grip just enough to let Hannah get comfortable.

As Hannah's eyes began to close under the bill of Ethan's hat, Lex was sure to check on the other kid in the room.

"Tim, do you mind the lights being off?" She asked quietly, her question hanging in the air as only the light sound of snoring answered.

"He doesn't mind." Hannah mumbled sleepily into Dusty's head.

Lex looked over to Alice once more, not surprised to see her watching them. This time, her eyes quickly flicked to the door and the light switch by it. Alice got up quietly and hovered near the switch, looking down at Hannah kindly

"Hannah, you ready?" Alice asked gently, not knowing how quiet Hannah normally got around strangers.

To her surprise, Lex heard Hannah comfortably answer as the light switched off with her permission.

She heard more than saw Alice walk back to her roll on the floor, gently sitting up against the wall similarly to Lex. Neither girl spoke, both understanding the need for silence as Hannah started to drift off.

In the quiet of the night, Lex stared at the door she had closed behind her. Her mind whirled as her arms tightened gently around her sister. It didn't matter that her muscles still ached from where she had been bound by the cult, or that her throat still felt like something was restricting her airflow.

She had come very close to losing her sister last night.

And that thought alone was nearly enough to stop her heart.

"Who's Ethan?"

Lex scowled as she became aware that her mind wasn't the only one still racing. Unwelcome emotions rushed forward in her chest as she bit the inside of her cheek to try and keep them back.

She couldn't think about that.

Not now.

"Really?" Lex whispered harshly, turning to meet Alice's eyes in the darkness.

"What do you mean, really?" Alice hissed back quickly. "It seems like he's pretty close with you and your sister."

Lex bit down harder, beginning to taste blood as her stomach twisted. She knew Alice's curiosity wouldn't be sated until she answered.

"He was." Lex replied stiffly.

There was a moment of blissful silence before Alice opened her mouth again.

"I'm sorry, I uh, I didn't know..."

Lex could tell it was genuine. Somehow the pity made it even worse.

"Do you normally make a habit about asking about people's dead boyfriends?" Lex rumbled, looking down to check that Hannah was still asleep. "Just asking for future reference."

The sharp inhale across the room put Lex at ease as she could feel almost physically feel Alice's regret.

The room grew quiet once again as Lex's eyes felt heavy. She chose to focus on the fuzzy feeling of sleep, of the feeling of her sister's steady breaths. Her blinks grew slower. Her eyes closed, finally able to trust in the darkness that nothing else would happen. She was just beginning to drift off when the softest sound demanded her attention, a call for the defenses she had almost let down. Lex heard the soft click of a door opening as her eyes peeled back open.

The first thing she checked was that her sister was still in her arms.

As the door to the room fully opened, a dull light from the hall outside illuminated the culprit as she slipped out and gently shut the door behind her.

Lex tried to ignore it.

Alice was probably only a year younger than her. If that. Plenty capable of making her own decisions. If the other girl wanted to sneak out into the town that still had crazed cult members prowling around...

Sighing, Lex gently nudged her sister off her lap, missing her warmth almost immediately. Shrugging off her jacket, she gently laid it over her sister's shoulders, leaving it behind so that Hannah would know that she would be back. Glancing over at the other side of the room, Lex checked on Tim. The kid was snoring heavily as she ran a rough hand through her hair.

After taking a moment to try and reconsider, Lex quietly and begrudgingly slipped out after Alice.

Lex had never been inside a house as large as Professor Hidgen's before, but it was quickly apparent that she didn't need to know where she was going. The sound of Alice's footsteps echoed through the empty halls loud enough for her to follow. The adults must have all settled upstairs somewhere as the main floor was eerily silent. Lex was sure to trail just behind Alice, not exactly trying to stay hidden but still curious to see where this was leading. Unlike her, Lex was trying to be quiet, knowing the last thing they needed was to wake the whole house.

Alice carefully picked her way through the hallway and up the stairs, the area looking more and more familiar as Lex realized they were moving back towards the same kitchen they had been in earlier.

Smiling, Lex felt confident in picking up her pace, now recognizing Alice's escape route. Not only was slipping out the back door was a classic move, but it was also probably the safest bet considering just how fortified the rest of the professor's house had been.

"Not sleepy?" Lex spoke up eventually, closing the gap between her and the other girl as she smiled.

Alice froze, her hand tenatively reaching up to grip onto the kitchen island they had been around earlier.

"Lex?" Alice asked hesitantly. "What are you doing... up?"

Her eyes trailed Lex as she purposefully moved in front of Alice and made her way to the back door.

"Oh me? I was just going to step outside. You coming with?" Lex raised an eyebrow, leaning against the sliding glass door as she turned to watch Alice's reaction.

"Oh no. I don't... uh, I was just taking a walk." The girl admitted nervously, shifting uncomfortably.

"Damn. Was kinda hoping you might have some cigarettes on you." Lex lied easily, shrugging as she crossed her arms. "So, if you' re not up for a smoke break, what are you doing?"

Alice drummed her fingers on the counter, her eyes flicking upwards as both girls stopped and listened for any movement. After a moment, she answered.

"Just uh, felt like getting some air. Well, not fresh air, but stretching my legs sounded good." Alice lied.

Lex frowned. If that was her best attempt at a lie, there was no way this girl was going to survive.

"Wanna try again?" Lex sarcastically offered, raising an eyebrow as Alice visibly grew irritated.

No poker face either.

"Fine, you got me. I'm leaving." Alice sighed irritably, bristling at the humor that danced in Lex's eyes.

"This weird bunker house not doing it for you?"

"You can not be saying you actually trust that kooky professor not to shoot us all in our sleep." Alice groaned. "I heard him muttering a goodnight lullaby to his Alexa."

"I trust Mr. Houston not to let anything happen to his son." Lex replied plainly. "Where are you planning to go anyways?"

"To my girlfriend's house." She answered quickly. "She's got a car, I figured she can get us out of town. Maybe somewhere that actually still has service and power."

"Ok? So your plan is to just walk through town in the middle of the night, hope your girlfriend didn't leave or go stay anywhere else already, and then you two are going to, what, Clivesdale?"

Alice stared at her, her cheeks growing red in the low light.

"Probably not Clivesdale." She shook her head as she made a face. "Just anywhere that isn't here."

"And what if everyone went as crazy there as they did here? What then?" Lex asked.

"Why do you care? You don't even know me." Alice shot back defensively.

Lex finally stood up from her slouch meeting Alice's stare evenly.

"Maybe I don't care." Lex shrugged, not rising to the bait. "Or maybe I'm just more used to actually living in the real world then you seem to be. You go out there princess, and you'll just lead every one of those doll obsessed lunatics that didn't burn straight back here to the rest of us."

Alice stared at her with wide eyes as Lex could tell she wanted to argue still. Peeling herself off the door, she stepped closer to the other girl, her eyes narrowing.

"Look, I'm exhausted. Frank had me working 6 days in a row, 12 hour shifts this entire last week, and then that idiot went and got his throat slashed. That paycheck is probably gone right along with him." Lex shook her head, looking at the floor for a few moments before taking another step forward. "My face hurts, and my throat hurts and I've had a shitty fucking day."

She was nearly in Alice's face now.

"I'd like to think I've been doing alright at playing nice, but if one more person puts my sister's life at risk for whatever stupid, selfish reason they try and justify, it won't end pretty." Lex finished plainly.

Alice didn't say anything, stiffly meeting Lex's stare. Her eyes fought to keep the irritation she had earlier, even as they grew watery. Figuring she had scared her enough, Lex took a step back. Alice's shaky breath hitched just slightly as Lex felt her own guilt quickly catch up past the exhaustion. She rubbed her face, wincing just slightly as her hand ran over the swelling.

"I get it." She admitted quietly, turning around and resting her back on the island. "I wasn't supposed to be here either. We were leaving too. California."

"You and Ethan?" Alice asked quietly, her voice clipped.

"And Hannah." Lex added quickly before sighing. "You know what, come up with a better plan. I'll be the first one out the door with you. Until then, I guess we're both stuck here with the crazy professor."

To Lex's surprise, she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. This time, Alice didn't remove it despite the glare she received. Instead she offered a small smile, the fear from before seemingly missing.

"Ok." She agreed quietly, and Lex could tell it was sincere. Eventually her eyes glinted with a mischievousness that Lex ignored, trying desperately to forget about how familiar it felt.

"But I'm not singing any lullabies."

Chapter Text

The next day, Lex found herself sitting in a make-shift lab. She looked around her with mild curiosity as she realized it was very similar to the shitty low budget science lab Hatchetfield had. Keeping her arms close to her body, she knew the truth was that this wasn't merely funded by tax dollars.

This was in someone's house.

Her eyes lulled as she fought to keep them open. She rubbed her face before flinching, her hand swiping over the swollen area around her eye and forehead. Thankfully Hannah seemed too preoccupied to notice her wince as Becky carefully inspected her.

"Any pain, sharp, dull, weird?" Becky listed as Hannah shook her head, letting the nurse pick up her arm as she looked over the small cuts and bruises that had appeared overnight.

Becky smiled as she gently let it go with a nod.

"Well Hannah, I think Lex would be glad to hear that you don't seem to be all too beaten up. But you'll have to let either her or me know if that changes. Got it?"

Hannah hummed as she nodded, turning back to check on Lex. Her eyes flicked down to her sister's neck as Lex summoned a gentle smile.

"Alright, guess that means it's my turn." She sighed. "Better go see what fun Tim's been having without you."

Her sister stared at her, her hands wringing on her lap. Becky shifted nervously above them as Hannah moved to check with her next. The nurse didn't quite meet her eyes.

After a moment, Hannah gently nodded, reaching over to wrap her arms around Lex before she left the room. It was only once the door shut behind her that Lex let out a loud sigh. She gingerly rubbed her throat as she forced herself to swallow through the pain. Her entire face hurt, but nothing was more overwhelming than her neck. Her breaths felt incomplete, like she had somehow swallowed a brick, the pain sharp, heavy and stuck.

"Alright Lex, there's a couple of... obvious injuries I'd like to inspect, but I want to check that you are comfortable going over what you experienced last night." Becky's voice was kind and hesitant.

"Worried I'm going to be too traumatized over the fact that I nearly died?" Lex asked dryly.

Becky smiled, her eyes twinkling as she matched her stare. She stood up and went to the small sink in the corner, taking a few of the paper towels and wetting them down into rags. Pocketing a small tube of ointment, and swiping a patch of gauze from the cabinet, she approached Lex.

"The bruising on your neck is pretty even across. Your attacker used their arm and not their hands, correct?" Becky asked bluntly.

"Yep." Lex hissed as she felt the nurse began to dab at the cut on her forehead.

"To your best estimate, how long do you think you had restricted airflow?"

Lex thought for a moment, working through the question in her mind. It wasn't just the flash of fear and sadness that she remembered feeling as she realized she was about to die, there was also the entire supernatural exchange that came after. Though, a small part of her was still clinging to the hope that it had been all in her head.

"I don't know, like a minute, maybe two?" Lex croaked, scowling as once again her voice cracked.

Becky had moved on from cleaning the cut on her forehead, swiftly applying a thick ointment that burned more painfully than the dabbing did as she sealed it with gauze and some tape. She moved to the front, peering down at her neck as Lex obediently lifted her chin.

"Most people lose consciousness after the first 10 or 15 seconds." Becky said quietly, tilting her head as she checked on either side of Lex's neck. "Were you struggling much?"

Lex blew air out of her nose as she laughed. True to her warning earlier, Becky wasn't pulling any punches.

"Not at first." Lex admitted honestly. It was true that she had been dazed from Sherman slamming her head into the ground, but that wasn't what really froze her.

Becky merely hummed as she finished her inspection of Lex's neck, meeting her eyes with a sympathetic smile. For once, Lex felt like it was actually believable.

"How tender is the area would you say? Am I ok to feel around it?"

"It still hurts like a bitch." Lex answered stiffly, before shrugging. "But knock yourself out."

Permission given, Becky gently raised her hand, extending two fingers as she pressed into the side of Lex's throat, where one might check a pulse. As she did, Lex felt herself wince, quickly turning her face to the side to avoid watching Becky's reaction.

To her credit, the nurse seemed to let the vulnerability slide, instead moving to the other side and pressing in the pulse point there as well. After a moment, Becky stopped her inspection, standing up straight as Lex turned to face her again.

"The damage to your throat isn't as bad as I thought it might be. The fact that you were able to remain conscious throughout and put up any fight at all helped a lot more than you might think." Becky explained as Lex stared at her. "The scariest part about strangulation is not always the moment it's happening, but the effects that can come after. Restricting airflow to the brain in any capacity is never good. Given how swollen your throat is, I'm hoping that most of the damage you received is in the muscle itself and will heal given enough time."

"But?" Lex stared at her sharply, recognizing the worry behind Becky's 'hopeful' delivery.

Becky bit her cheek as she seemed to wrestle with a fear in her mind.

"Lex, I really need you to be honest with us about how you are feeling for however long we are here. I need you to be honest with me, and if you can't do that, then please be honest with Tom."

"Honest about what?" Lex growled irritably, her eyes narrowing as Becky seemed to sink further into some sort of hidden guilt and fear.

"If you begin to feel light-headed, or even just feeling unusually sleepy. Also if your vision starts to go blurry for any reason or amount of time. Over the next few weeks you run a higher risk of suddenly losing consciousness."

Lex scowled, her eyebrow raising.

"Doesn't seem so bad. Just so long as Hannah doesn't see-"

"No Lex, you don't understand." Becky quickly interrupted, her spine showing once again, "Victims of strangulation are at higher risk for stroke the first few months after the incident occurs."

Making sure Lex was watching her and listening, Becky put her hands gently on the younger girl's shoulders.

"If we don't monitor you carefully, you could die."

Lex blinked, staring into the woman's intense eyes. The concern in her voice was more than genuine, Becky seemed almost terrified on her behalf. After a moment, the nurse gingerly lifted her hands from Lex's shoulders as she gave her space.

She rubbed at her face, wincing irritably as she once again forgot the bruising near her forehead and eye.

Things just kept getting better and better.

"Fine." Lex sighed after a moment, watching as Becky seemed to brighten with the answer. "I'll be honest about how I'm feeling if you agree that you won't hover. I don't want Hannah knowing anything about this. At all. Got it?"

"I won't hover, but I have already told Tom. After we get done here I'll let the others know-"

"No, you won't." Lex stopped her, standing up from the chair. "Because the more people know about it, the more likely it is that Hannah will find out. She knows as well as I do that we don't just have people watching out for us."

Before Becky could respond with any sort of argument, there was a knock on the door, effectively silencing both of them. It creaked open as Alice peered into the room.

"I'm not uh, stopping anything, right?"

Lex glared at her as Becky looked between them.

"No, actually, this is good. Alice can you come in here for a moment?" She asked quickly, her voice perfectly polite.

As Alice side-stepped the open door, Lex quickly kicked her foot out to shut it back closed behind her.

"Lex, I understand your concern, but you need someone to watch for any signs, and if me and Tom can't be around-"

"So you want to ask princess over here to do it?" Lex shot back, jabbing her thumb over her shoulder in Alice's direction.

"She's the same age as you, it won't be suspicious if you two spend more time together, right?" Becky tried to explain kindly.

"I'm sorry, I was asked to see if you were guys were done." Alice said quickly, her eyes wide as she held up her hands. "I'll just go tell Tom you're busy-"

"Relax," Lex drawled sarcastically, stopping Alice as she went to leave. "Nurse Barnes here just wants you to keep an eye on me so I don't drop dead."

Becky sighed as the statement clearly and immediately had an impact on Alice. She looked between them both with alarm.

"What Lex means, is that because she was attacked, she is at higher risk for losing consciousness or even something as severe as a possible stroke. Which yes, could kill her." Becky said pointedly as Lex rolled her eyes.

"What- why didn't anyone say anything last night?" Alice stumbled over her words as she folded her arms tightly across her stomach.

"Because half of us spent the entire day fighting for our lives in a crazy mall and the other half are Paul's friends from work, who are also here for some reason." Lex answered dryly.

"Lex doesn't want Hannah to find out and worry." Becky continued, purposefully ignoring Lex as she looked to Alice. "So we are trying to keep it between just a few people for now."

The room was quiet for several seconds as even Lex couldn't find something to say. Alice's eyes were on her for several long moments before she finally spoke.

"What are the signs I need to look for?"

"Slurred speech, if part of her face goes slack, if she seems slow to respond to-"

"So basically what happens when anyone gets a little too high?" Lex asked smugly as both people in the room glared at her.

"If something does happen, what am I supposed to do?" Alice asked after a moment.

"Come get either me or Tom right away. Those are the symptoms of a possible stroke, which, requires immediate medical attention. If it's that severe, we'll need to risk trying to take her to the hospital." Becky explained gently as Lex froze. She knew there was no way she would be able to afford whatever bill came out of a hospital visit. "That's worst case scenario. Other than that, she may experience symptoms similar to asthma. Shortness of breath, tight chest. Unfortunately you'll have to rely on Lex to be honest about her symptoms in that case."

"Well, it was bound to happen eventually with my smoking habits." Lex croaked, making a face as she heard her voice crack. She could feel Becky's eyes watching her carefully as she scowled. "Are we done?"

"You were saying something about Tom wanting to know if we're done?" Becky sighed as she gave her attention back to Alice.

"Oh uh, yeah. They're talking about what's going to happen now." Alice answered quietly. She glanced at Lex. "He said we're invited too."

"Yeah, I'll pass." Lex said carefully. "I'd rather not deal with Ted this early in the morning."

"Lucky you." Becky grumbled under her breath, successfully earning a laugh from Lex.

"Want me to fake a stroke to get you out of it?" She offered.

Alice covered her mouth as she snorted.

"As nice as that sounds," Becky smiled gently. "I suppose I can't hide in here forever. You girls go get some rest. I'll make sure Tom gives you the update later."

The last point was added for Lex as she felt a bit of relief loosen the tension that had been building in her shoulders. After picking up what supplies she had gotten out for her exam, Becky smiled at the two girls before leaving them both alone in the room.

Lex waited only a moment before quickly moving over to the cabinets, throwing them open and searching through them.

"What are you doing?" Alice asked nervously, coming up behind her as she peeked inside.

"I'd like my head to stop pounding."

Finally spying a bottle of Tylenol up on the top shelf, her fingertips only barely grazed the shelf itself, missing the bottle completely.

She heard Alice softly laugh behind her as she stepped forward and plucked it off the shelf, having only barely enough height to reach it. She handed Lex the bottle with a smirk.

"My hero." Lex sarcastically drawled, pulling out two tablets and moving to flick the sink on.

She hesitated for just a moment, carefully swallowing as she tried to remind her throat that it still, mostly, worked. Popping the pills on her tongue, she tilted her head underneath the flowing water and gulped the mouthful down. Wincing, the tablets went down with only a small twinge of pain before Lex realized that swallowing the water itself wasn't what she should have been afraid of.

For a moment, with the water filling her throat, it felt like she couldn't breathe.

Once again Lex could feel Sherman's elbow digging into her throat, blocking her airway, her vision going fuzzy as she thought about the fact that she was going to die-

Suddenly there was a warmth on her back as the arm around her neck slowly withdrew. Lex found herself leaning heavily against the counter, her knuckles white as she gripped the edge.

Her throat burned like she had swallowed glass. She must have been coughing.

"I'd suggest breathing, but I think that was the problem." Alice said gently, leaning forward and flicking off the sink.

Her hand was firm on her back, holding her upright. Closing her eyes, Lex focused on breathing through her nose, keeping her neck as still as possible. Her heart was still beating heavily in her chest. Eventually she felt her fingers loosen on the counter as she was finally able to feel her legs again.

"Thanks."

Alice still didn't move her hand.

"How are you feeling?"

"Tired." Lex responded plainly. "Like shit."

"Asthmatic?" Alice teased as Lex chuckled.

"Fuck, I miss cigarettes." She admitted dryly, taking a risk on her throat as she tried to swallow again.

The brick was back, it's pain just as a present, but at least she was able to breathe around it. Alice's hand finally left her back as Lex realized she was mostly standing on her own.

"Well, think of this as an excellent opportunity to try and quit." Alice smirked as she opened the door. "Come on, I think there's a living room down the hall. You can nap on the couch instead of trying to drown yourself in a sink."

***

"So. Why were you going to California?" Alice asked, trying to find something to fill in the silence.

If she was supposed to keep an eye on Lex's health, her going deathly quiet was not helping.

Unfortunately for both of them, the living room Alice had spotted was the exact place everyone decided to have their meeting. Not really feeling up for exploring, they snuck back down to the room they had stayed in last night instead, taking back their spots on opposite sides of the room.

"It's not here." Lex answered her question shortly.

"Ok, but not here could be like New York or something." Alice suggested as Lex rolled her eyes. "At least it's closer. And not on fire all the time."

Lex snorted. "Nobody gets their big break in New York."

"Big break? You trying to be an actor or something?" Alice teased quickly before realizing that she was serious.

"You don't think I could make it?" Lex raised her eyebrow.

Alice's heart thudded once in her chest as she realized the trap she had walked into.

"It's just, don't they usually tell you to have a back-up plan?"

"They also say to work something you're good at. And I'm really good at fitting the roles people give me." Lex shrugged with a smirk. "People love to call me trailer trash so I got that one covered, drop-out with a record at 18."

"Sounds more like acting out to me." Alice grumbled, surprisingly earning a laugh out of Lex.

"Fair enough. You'd be more impressed with the work I do around my sister then."

"Trying to pretend you don't have a soft side? That it's all an act?"

"Not when it comes to Hannah." Lex replied, her teasing attitude quickly dropping. "Not hard to believe I wasn't told 'I love you' much as a kid. That won't be the case with her."

Alice blinked, recognizing that despite Lex's stiff voice, this was probably a rare moment of vulnerability.

She must have really been feeling like shit.

"I'm sure she knows, Lex." Alice reassured her, making sure to add a smile as the other girl shot her a sharp stare.

Instead of replying with a snarky remark, Lex grew quiet. She swallowed, wincing as her hand went to her throat. Watching her, Alice immediately knew what Lex had meant when she brought up her acting experience. Gingerly rubbing her face, Lex shifted so that she could zip up her jacket, making sure to pull the fabric up past her neck.

"So what's a princess like you planning to do with the rest of her life?" Lex asked as she leaned back against the wall, her eyes closing.

Alice made a face before remembering Lex couldn't see it.

"Well last night you made working retail sound like so much fun, I figured I'd give that a shot." Alice replied dryly, the sarcasm that Lex carried surprisingly easy to replicate.

Lex peaked opened her non-swollen eye as she looked over at Alice, a small, genuine smile pulling at the corner of her mouth.

"I told you, I'm good at selling bullshit." Lex replied, her voice sounding slightly more hoarse and quiet than it had previously. "You really going to make me guess when I sound like this?"

"If you want pity points, I'd lean more on how bad your face looks."

"Yeah, who fucking knew Sherman would have such an arm?" Lex winced again, her hand going up to her temple to the bandage Becky had applied.

Alice laughed, easily picturing the exact weird little man Lex was talking about. Even despite the evidence and the injuries apparent on Lex's face, it still felt a bit silly to imagine him actually attacking anyone. Maybe it's why this whole thing seemed impossible.

People weren't supposed to attack each other over a toy.

After a moment, Alice realized that Lex had gone silent once again. Trying not to be too obvious, she looked up and saw her staring down at her hands. Her eyes dark.

As Alice watched, those same hands began to shake.

"I, uh... I want to be a playwright."

Lex's hands turned into tight fists, looking over quickly at Alice as her brow furrowed.

"What?"

"You asked what I was going to do." Alice explained with a half-smile. "I want to be a playwright."

"What the fuck is that?" Lex asked, her expression still confused.

There was no judgement there. Not even a flicker like what Alice would sometimes see flash in Deb's eyes. It was a far cry away from the dismissal that always appeared in her father's.

"Oh um, I basically just want to write for plays and maybe even musicals. Like Shakespeare, but uh, maybe not so tragic. If possible."

Lex sniffed, leaning back against the wall again.

"Tragedy sells though. Isn't that why he's all famous?" She asked simply. "Like how the Titanic is everyone's favorite story or whatever."

"Well, I'd say Shakespeare is famous for different reasons, but... yeah. Everyone always focuses on his tragedies. Or any tragedies. But that's stupid." Alice growled, finding herself on a familiar rant. "The whole world is tragic, so isn't that why we go see a show? To get away from all of that?"

"That's one way to look at it." Lex shrugged. Her eyes closed again as Alice watched her shoulders fall, seemingly moving away from whatever had haunted her earlier. "If you aren't writing tragedies, what sort of stuff do you write?"

Alice's face felt warm as she crossed her arms in front of her stomach, holding her elbows tightly.

"Romance mostly." Alice answered quietly, realizing how cheesy that probably sounded to someone like Lex.

"Fuck yeah." Lex cheered softly, her eyes still closed as her head tilted further back into the wall.

"Wait, wait." Alice laughed into her sleeve. "I did not take you for a sap." She watched out of the corner of her eye as Lex held her hands up by her shoulders.

"Acting." She said plainly, her eyes still closed as she shook them in a parody 'jazz hands', causing Alice to snort.

She imagined the smile Lex let slip out wasn't in response to her, but it still felt like a success anyways.

"You know, my dad doesn't think I'll make it. He keeps trying to tell me to 'keep my options open'." Alice sighed after a moment, her thoughts drifting back to everyone else's reactions to her future.

"Yeah, well take it from me. Options aren't open to everyone. Might as well do what you want now and figure out if it will work later."

"So why didn't you let me leave last night?"

"Because I knew that wasn't going to work out." Lex replied quickly.

"Why?" Alice probed farther as Lex tensed.

There was something she was hiding. It was in her eyes last night as well, beyond the anger and exhaustion. Alice had put a lot together about just what happened in the mall and what might have happened to Lex, but the fear behind her eyes now was different then it had been when she was choking in the lab.

For a moment, Alice expected to get another lecture, bracing herself for it when the door opened slowly.

"Lexi?" Hannah's voice asked as the young girl poked her head into the room. Her brown eyes lit up when she saw her sister and Alice saw the same excitement reflect in Lex's eyes as well.

"What's up Banana?" Lex asked, her voice returning to nearly normal as she sat up and gave her sister her full attention.

Even knowing what to look for, Alice barely noticed any lingering pain.

"Tim wanted to spend some time with Tom and Becky." Hannah shrugged, moving carefully into the room as she sat against the wall next to Lex. She looked over at Alice and waved. "Hi Alice."

"Hi Hannah. Come to hang out with the cool kids?" Alice smiled back at her gently, feeling a bit of pride when Hannah nodded eagerly.

Lex rolled her eyes. "So just me?"

"Actually, just Alice." Hannah shrugged back as Lex chuckled.

"Ha. Ha." She said with mock betrayal, her grin betraying the pride in her eyes.

"Did Alice need a check-up too?" Hannah asked as Lex paused. Her brow furrowed as she looked over at her.

"Shit. We probably should've had Becky look at your wrists and shoulders."

"I'll be fine." Alice waved off the concern gently. Her shoulders still felt a little sore from the way she had been grabbed, but it wasn't anything that wouldn't go away in a few days.

"What about your anxiety? Do we need to be doing anything about that? You got pills or something?" Lex asked as Hannah watched her sister carefully.

Alice made a face.

"My dad doesn't know I get panic attacks." She sighed. "He'd probably just say I need to practice breathing or that I just need to spend more time with him."

"Makes sense as to why he thought I was trying to kidnap you away."

"Yeah, he's not too great at reading a room." Alice laughed bitterly. "How did you know I was having one anyways?"

"Hannah gets them from time to time." Lex admitted, looking down at her sister as she nodded. "Speaking of, you heard from Webby yet today?"

Shaking her head, Hannah made a face. She looked over her shoulder at Alice before turning to Lex, her eyes wide. Alice saw it immediately, just what Hannah was staring at. The way Lex had sat up made it so that her jacket slipped once again below her neck, exposing the deep purple bruising of her injury.

"You almost died." Hannah said softly.

"Did Webby tell you that?" Lex asked quietly, her body going stiff.

Hannah shook her head again.

"I saw it." She said plainly. "You were scared. And... sad."

For a moment, Alice expected Lex to wave the statement off. To keep up the act that she was fine. Instead, she watched the older teen melt, losing the battle in her head as the pain was once again clear on her face. Her arms reached out for her sister as she wrapped Hannah tightly up into her chest, burying her head into her neck. Hannah held onto her older sister tightly.

Alice quietly stood up, watching as Hannah turned to her, still wrapped up in Lex's arms. Shooting the young girl a small, apologetic smile, Alice made her way to the door, feeling overwhelmingly like an intruder in the moment. Hannah watched her go until her hand touched the door, before turning and burying herself back into Lex's chest.

She didn't go far. Her mind was still on what Becky had told her. Instead she slid down the other side of the door, pulling out her phone from her pocket as she stared at the black screen. After a moment, she clicked the lock button, pulling to life her screensaver. Deb smiled back at her as she felt her heart clench. While the generator that Hidgen's had running gave some semblance of normal life, the empty bars at the top of the screen reminded her easily of everything that had gone wrong in the night.

Clicking into her messages, Alice stared at the last message she sent Deb. It was some stupid meme. At some point her girlfriend must've had viewed it, because the timestamp had changed to a grey 'Read' message. A flash of worry spiked through her body as she stared at the stupid musical joke.

What if that was the last thing she ever got to tell her?

Part of her still itched to leave. To get up and run away from it all. This mansion was unsettling, she didn't know anyone well besides Paul and her father. The ever looming pressure in her head and chest gleefully reminded her that she didn't even know if Deb was alive. If anyone was still alive.

Alice felt her heart begin to race as she closed her eyes, focusing on the feeling of the steady door behind her back.

As she slowly forced herself to take longer and deeper breaths, she began to hear the soft sounds of crying coming from the room behind her. Her anxiety slowly receded as she listened closely. As it passed, her shoulders began to ache as Alice remembered just how quickly Lex had leapt out in front of the guys who attacked them. Her face was stony and resolved, even as a knife was pointed at her neck.

Her mouth dried with the realization that Hannah had been right.

Lex was scared last night, and Alice had a sneaking suspicion that it hadn't been for herself.

***

At some point, Tim had found some playing cards.

With the adults all mingling around, still drinking and commiserating, Alice and Lex were left to try and entertain the kids. To try to keep all their minds off of the constant sirens they heard outside. Every once and awhile they'd hear the sound of some big plane passing overhead. It took a few passes but Alice eventually noticed that every time it did, Hannah and Lex would both react. She tried not to think of what that meant.

Tim had originally wanted to play War, but when Hannah shook her head, Lex offered something that wasn't just pure chance instead. They started with Go Fish. Until Hannah won 4 games in a row. Alice offered to teach everyone Beggar My Neighbor, but Lex grew frustrated with all the rules quickly and they switched back to trying to find something everyone already knew.

They were mid-way through a game of Trash and Alice was finally winning, having advanced 2 stages ahead of everyone else. She knew it was mostly luck, but couldn't help but smirk at Lex every time she'd pull something she couldn't use. It always led her to having to pass it over to Alice, letting her flip yet another card.

Lex didn't speak much, clearly grateful that Hannah and Tim were eagerly filling in the silence with their own conversation. To Alice's surprise, she wasn't the poor sport she had expected. It was almost like Lex enjoyed playing the game just as much as the kids did. Her quiet competitiveness helped make it feel less like Alice was stuck playing a stupid kiddie game while the world burned outside.

If Lex could enjoy herself, even when losing so terribly, then Alice supposed she could too.

That was until 3 rounds later when Lex had caught up to her.

Alice now found herself focusing on the math of it the deck, taking the game much more seriously than she ever thought she would. Currently she was trying to figure out if there was still any chance to find the 4 she was waiting for. The one she had been waiting for, for 2 rounds now. Hannah had told her earlier with a sly grin that it wasn't coming, but that didn't mean much. Especially not when Lex had shot her an infuriatingly cocky grin following her sister's taunt.

There was still a single 4 left in the deck. With 2 kings. 3 chances to move on.

The turn goes around. Lex gets her 3. Grinning, she passed the Jack she had revealed straight to Alice instead of in the trash pile.

She took it with a mock smile, tossing it with the rest of the discarded high numbers. Her hand moved to the draw pile, hoping for some sort of break-

"What about Sam?"

"What about him?"

Lex immediately tensed, her eyes flicking to the door. They had all gathered in one of the spare guest bedrooms, thinking it would be the quietest place away from whatever drunken mischief or doomsday talk the adults were getting into further in the rest of the house. Alice pushed herself to her feet, watching the door warily as she realized the recipe for disaster they had locked themselves into.

"Come on, think of it just like any other night he's out late patrolling-" Ted bargained, the door opening as he stepped backwards into the room.

Lex cleared her throat, standing up quickly as Alice stared pointedly at the wall, worried she was about to get an eyeful of something she'd rather not see.

Ted and Charlotte, both thankfully fully dressed, turned around with alarm as they finally realized the room they were 'sneaking' off to was already occupied.

"Aw, dammit." Ted groaned loudly, throwing his shoulders back as his head tilted to the ceiling. Next to him Charlotte clutched at her chest, her eyes wide as she realized just how obvious both of them had just been.

Next to her, Lex cleared her throat again.

Hannah and Tim both got to their feet, looking between everyone with confusion. Hoping Lex had a good plan for explaining it, Alice turned to her. She was hunched over, her arms limply held to her chest.

Still trying to clear her throat.

"What's wrong with the punk? I ain't that slimy." Ted narrowed his eyes.

Alice took a step closer to Lex. She had her head down, her hair covering her face so instead she watched her chest and back. A heavy feeling fell over her as she realized Lex was struggling to breathe. After a moment more of clearing her throat, she began to quietly cough. A small, low rattle catching in her chest with every failed half-breath.

Alice's heart thudded heavily against her ribs, cold tendrils of fear gripping her heart. Even when Lex had choked on the pills earlier she hadn't been wheezing.

"Tim." Alice squeaked, making a face as she tried to keep her fear out of her voice. "Can you go and find Tom or Becky? Tell them that L-" Alice stopped herself, remembering the way Lex had been so guarded in the lab.

"Just tell them to get here. As fast as they can. They should know why." Alice added quickly, only breathing again once she saw Tim nod determinedly, taking off through Charlotte and Ted and out the door.

She moved to gently try and stabilize Lex, putting a hand on her back the way she did before. This time she didn't lean into it.

"Lex?"

Alice hoped that she had just choked on her breath, hoped that maybe whatever was happening was just triggered by standing up a little too fast.

Lex didn't respond.

Ted's irritation from earlier changed as he kept his eyes on them. His hands found their way onto Charlotte's shoulders.

"Ok well, something's not normal." He growled, recognizing Alice's panic but not having the context to know what really going on. "Charlotte, you were in that mall right? When people started going crazy, just how'd they end up turning anyways?"

"I uh, I don't know. It was different for every person, and slow. But also fast-"

"Oh! Ted, Charlotte, Paul just told the funniest story-" Alice heard her father call from across the hall. She grimaced. That was absolutely the last thing she needed-

"What are y'all looking at?" Bill asked curiously as he stepped into the room.

Alice ignored him, looking behind her to check on Hannah. She was carefully watching her sister, her eyes wide. Before she had a chance to speak, Lex tried to stand up straight, failing to do so as she lunged forward-

"Alice!" Bill cried out in fear, rushing forward, his eyes locked not on his daughter, but what he assumed was about to happen to her.

Hannah wasted no time as she moved quickly in front of him letting Alice switch her position to help catch Lex before she fell. Thankfully, Bill stopped, looking down at Lex's younger sister with confusion.

"She won't hurt anyone." Hannah said defiantly.

Trusting her father wouldn't just run through a kid, Alice switched her attention back to Lex as she heard the rest of the adults anxiously talking. Ignoring the paranoia in their voices and the anxiety rising like bile into her chest, Alice tried helping Lex stand up straight. If she really wanted to keep this from Hannah, then they needed to make it seem like she could stand on her own.

That didn't seem possible right now.

Thinking quickly, Alice moved Lex to the wall, stepping over their quickly forgotten game. Despite clearly being disorientated and in pain, Lex understood what was happening, supporting herself upright on the wall as Alice hovered nearby for support. Her eyes were starting to turn red as she looked pale. Alice could still hear the wheeze and rattle in her chest. She didn't think she had seen Lex take a complete breath for over a minute. Maybe more.

Just how long had it been? How long could you go without being able to breathe? Tim should have been back by now-

Hannah stepped back, pulling on Alice's sleeve as she tried to quietly bring her attention back to the growing problem in front of them.

"I don't know, last night I remember her clutching something. The guys who attacked us thought it might have been a doll, if she had a Wiggly-"

"It wasn't a stupid doll." Alice interrupted, glaring at her father as he looked at her. "It was a stuffed bunny. Hannah's stuffed animal."

"Who fucking cares? Just look at her eyes! They're red! What more proof do you need? She was already violent before, you can't tell me she isn't about to go nuts and start killing us all." Ted cried, throwing his hand up as he gestured to Lex, his target looking far more pathetic than anything else. "We should just call Hidgens in to take care of it-"

"You can't! She's not going crazy, just..." Alice trailed off, making a frustrated noise in her throat as she realized that because of Lex's stubbornness, she couldn't just explain what was actually happening. Trying to think of something else to keep the growing mob at bay, she looked back at Hannah and Lex.

They were both standing behind her now. Hannah peering out from around her back with concern as Lex reached forward. She pulled her sister close, her eyes unfocused but narrowed. Her entire body was shaking, yet her grip on Hannah remained tight.

Protective.

"You think Lex would be letting Hannah stand so close to her if something was actually wrong? Possession or insanity or whatever?" Alice asked them, swallowing hard. "From what I know, she's got like 2 modes. Sarcasm, and worrying about her sister. If being close to Wiggly or whatever the professor was saying last night overrides basic instincts wouldn't it also override something like that?" Alice continued, moving just slightly to point with her whole hand at Lex who was still wheezing.

Her eyes were now barely open as they glared at everyone standing around.

"What the fuck is going on?" Tom's voice rumbled from the doorway.

"Oh thank god." Alice sighed quickly.

Ted, making a very unmanly noise, jumped out of the doorway he had taken to blocking, making just enough space for Becky to push her way into the room. The woman went straight past Bill, trading places with Alice as Hannah gently moved out of her way. She stuck close to Alice as she hurried to give Becky and Lex space.

"Why doesn't everyone get the hell out of here so Lex can breathe. The kid had a hard enough night last night and I'm sure a whole bunch of people swarming her isn't helping." Tom warned, stepping in after and pointing everyone out the door.

Behind her, Alice heard Becky gently start guiding Lex through some breathing exercises, breathing another sigh of relief as the wheezing rattle that had been present in the room slowly began to fade. Carefully, Alice reached down to take Hannah's hand, forcing herself to hide her surprise when Hannah let her.

"Come on, Becky's got it from here. We can wait just outside." Alice suggested gently.

She had them wait until everyone else had moved out of the room, still eyeing Ted as he easily started focusing his attention once again onto Charlotte. Like he hadn't started a witch hunt seconds ago.

Alice and Hannah were the last to make their way out of the room as Alice gently shut the door behind her. She already knew her father was waiting to talk, sighing as she turned around.

"Alice what the hell were you thinking?!"

Letting Hannah's hand drop, Alice mirrored his position, crossing her arms as she stared her father down. He did this a lot. Acted like he wanted to hear what she thought, like he wanted to know how she felt. Never quite acknowledging that he just steam-rolled through her actual feelings the moment they came out of her mouth.

"So you can remember that she had a stuffed animal last night but can't remember she saved both our lives?" Alice pointed out instead.

"It doesn't matter what she did last night if she goes crazy today!" Her dad shot back childishly. "The whole world's changed because of that doll-"

"Yeah, and I knew that Lex didn't. Why couldn't you just trust me on that?"

"Please Alice, you barely even know her-"

"I know enough to know that arguing with you, is pointless. You never listen anyway." Alice snapped, her body relaxing as she felt Hannah place a hand on her arm.

She hadn't realized she had started shaking.

"That's not fair. I almost lost you last night. I can't-" Bill sighed. "I just want you to be careful."

Alice stared at him, trying to force herself to concentrate on her breathing, her heart still beating fast. Hannah, thankfully, didn't remove her hand. After a moment, her dad got the hint. A rare victory. He turned around quietly and drifted off to wherever the others had gone. Alice didn't care to find out where.

As soon as he was out of sight, she fell against the wall by the door with a heavy sigh.

"Well." She said, looking around and also catching eyes with Tim. Something in his eyes told her that he understood something about having a bull-headed father. "Guess the game might have to wait a bit."

"You got lucky." Tim narrowed his eyes as Alice laughed. He had been in last place by the time everything had gone down.

"Sure, buddy. And Hannah definitely didn't cheat at Go Fish."

"It's not cheating if I couldn't help seeing who had what." Hannah pouted as Alice smiled gently at her.

"It's fine, I'm more impressed than anything. Maybe you can help me win against your sister when we pick it back up." She suggested.

Tim asked Hannah to show him how she cheated, as Hannah once again denied that she did.

Listening to them quietly begin to talk, Alice closed her eyes. She wondered if she could convince Lex to call it an early night. That way they could both try and make up for what little sleep they got last night. She definitely owed her after this. Alice was trying to frame the question out in her head, thinking of the best way to approach it so that even Lex's stubborn head couldn't argue when the door to the bedroom opened.

Lex walked stiffly beside Becky, her hands on top of her head as she stood up straighter the moment her sister's eyes landed on her. Becky made eye contact with Alice as she nodded, a grateful smile on her face. She turned to Hannah who was staring at her expectantly.

"Lex is fine. It was just her throat acting up, causing the rest of her body to panic." She smiled patiently, looking over everyone still waiting outside the door. Behind her Tom worriedly checked on Lex, his bushy eyebrows furrowed. "Tim, you did good coming to get me when you did."

Tim beamed as he stood up straight, puffing out his chest in pride. He checked for Hannah's reaction only to see his new friend looking over at Alice, realization dancing in her eyes. It was clear that both kids knew it had been a medical emergency, something that even the so-called 'adults' from earlier failed to recognize.

Alice grimaced as she realized the goal hadn't been to completely hide the fact that Lex would have medical issues following her injury. It was to hide the severity of it, something she had forgotten in the panic of the moment.

"We're going to get some ice on her neck for the swelling and hope that helps. You guys will have to pick up your game later."

"I'll go with you." Alice said quickly, pushing off the wall impatiently.

"Well. I guess that leaves me and the kids." Tom shrugged playfully. "Who wants to take bets on how long it will take Ted to start squirming when I tell him he needs to lay off accusing Lex of shit she isn't responsible for?"

Both Tim and Hannah eagerly jumped to join him as Alice caught Lex genuinely smiling at the implication.

"Don't forget my dad too. He was just as bad." Alice added helpfully.

"Noted." Tom nodded before grabbing his son and placing him on his shoulders as Tim laughed. He turned to Hannah. "You see where they ran off to?"

Hannah nodded and Tom gestured for her to lead the way, all three of them taking off with renewed purpose. They watched them go, standing still in the silence left behind. With some relief, Alice realized it was true silence, a distinct lack of wheezing coming from Lex as she kept her arms up.

"Thanks." Lex croaked quietly.

Alice blinked as she realized she had been trying to find the words to apologize herself.

"What?"

"Earlier. Against your dad, and Ted." She coughed out, keeping her eyes straight ahead.

"About that..." Becky started, turning over her shoulder to look at both girls, before her eyes settled on Lex. "I know you said you don't want them to know-"

"They have eyes. They can see my neck is fucked up. They still chose to think I was possessed instead." Lex said plainly, wincing as her voice cracked. "Doesn't matter what you tell them. Everyone believes what they want to about me."

The sliver of guilt that had been needling through Alice's body faded as she realized the truth behind Lex's words. It wouldn't have matter if she remembered that the medical issues themselves weren't what they were hiding.

It didn't even matter that Lex hadn't had a Wiggly.

"She's got a point." Alice agreed quietly.

Becky sighed, studying Lex carefully. Her eyes went to her neck, tilting her head slightly, looking for something. After a moment, she turned to Alice. Under her sharp green eyes Alice felt more seen than she had before. She was suddenly aware of just how fast her heart was beating.

"This is my fault." Becky spoke after a while, her voice quiet. "The possibility of a stroke in cases like this are extremely small. I just, I just wanted to make you aware of it for your own safety. But in stressing the severity, I think all I've really done is freak you both out."

Lex's jaw was tight. Her hands slipped off her head and fell limply to her side. Alice felt her eyes studying her with realization.

"Lex, you know your own body. I trust you to grab someone if you need them. We'll tell everyone that you might experience some asthmatic like attacks, and I'm sure Tom will scare them enough not to mob you like that again. Hannah doesn't have to know, and Alice doesn't have to watch you every second." Becky explained gently, before her smile grew a bit more genuine. "You can both leave the constant worrying to us adults."

Lex sniffed, shaking her head slightly.

"Guess that means you're off the hook." She managed to stiffly tease, causing Alice to choke on her unexpected laugh.

"I didn't mind." She argued quietly, before a moment passed and she smirked. "Well, at least until you started winning."

"Should've waited a little longer. My luck never holds." Lex shrugged.

"I'm starting to see that, yeah." Alice agreed, smiling as it earned yet another unexpected chuckle out of Lex.

As Becky started herding them to the kitchen to grab the ice for Lex's throat, Alice caught herself watching the other teen carefully. Her own heartrate slowed as she studied Lex's back, watching it rise and fall more easily.

Part of her was left wondering just when it became a comfort to watch her breathe.

***

Lex stood in the middle of the kitchen, holding the icepack to her neck as her hand drummed irritably on the table. She found herself more frustrated than she had been before. They really had nowhere to go. Nothing to do but wait until everyone turned on them.

Like they already almost did.

Becky and Tom had both discussed the idea of going out into the town. As far as they knew, the power was still cut and service was still down. Hidgens had spotted that the bridge to Clivesdale had been raised. The majority of hands at the meeting had voted to stay put. That they would wait and try to leave only once power had been restored. A fact Lex had learned was much to Becky's frustration.

Especially after Lex's recent attack.

The professor had a lot in terms of first aid and medical supplies built up for the apocalypse, but the nurse still felt like the best treatment they could get Lex right now was some albuterol.

Whatever the fuck that meant.

Second best treatment was the ice pack she was currently holding to her neck.

Lex peeled it from her skin, grimacing at the feeling of her own cold and clammy skin as she tossed it to the counter. She looked up, peering the through the blinds of the back door. The sun was beginning to go down already. She took a moment to try and hesitantly take a deep breath, grateful that it didn't get caught. As cold and annoying as the ice had been, she couldn't deny that it was suddenly a lot easier to breathe and swallow.

The kitchen was quiet as everyone had left to go eat what rations Ted had already broken into in their various rooms. The tension in the house had only risen since the night before, with Paul's friends seemingly unable to get along for more than a couple of minutes at the time. Alice had wanted to stay and wait with her, but Bill had come to collect his daughter almost immediately. He glared at Lex when Alice had asked her to join them, gladly taking the excuse to leave when she waved them off.

It wasn't like she was hungry anyways.

Her fingers anxiously poked at the half-melted ice pack as Lex heard a belch come from the hallway.

"Fucking hell-" Ted Spankoffski walked into the kitchen lazily, peering one eye open as he caught sight of Lex. "Punk."

"Sleeze." Lex greeted him back.

Her hand moved to clutch onto the icepack, watching as Ted made his way over the fridge she had been meaning to return it to. The man dug around in it for a moment as she prepped herself to see him pull out a beer bottle or can. Instead, he pulled out what looked to be a pitcher of lemonade.

"Want some?" He asked, more out of obligation than genuine curiosity as he set it on the counter and moved to the cabinets.

"No thanks." Lex grimaced, her throat still feeling raw from earlier.

Ted hummed shortly, pulling down two small glasses as he moved back to the counter and started to pour.

"Seems a bit weak for the circumstances." Lex poked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Weak's an understatement." Ted said simply, turning around to Lex and flashing her a manufactured smile. "Tom's kid started to ask the stupid questions. Like why the world went nutso and shit like that."

"So you volunteered to grab lemonade?"

"Made it last night. Figured it was bound to happen eventually." Ted shrugged, leaning back against the counter as he crossed his arms. For once he seemed to be studying Lex without judging her.

Somehow that made her more uncomfortable.

"So you're up here avoiding it."

"Come on punk, you think I got it in me to be supportive? Helpful?" He asked sarcastically. "I'm doing my best just biting my tongue around Bill. The world's bad and I'm no good either."

Lex's brow furrowed as she looked pointedly at the lemonade he had made. Ted followed her eyes, staring at the pitcher.

"My parents tried shoving my kid brother on me when I was old enough to watch him. He had a lot of questions. Annoying questions. Best way to shut a kid up with questions? Give em lemonade."

"You have a brother?" Lex's question was out of her mouth before she could stop it.

Ted turned to her stiffly.

"Yep."

His eyes felt more familiar now. They were guarded, back on the defensive.

"Where is he?" Lex asked.

"Don't know."

"With your parents?"

"Sure hope so." He shrugged, refusing to meet her eyes. "Not like I can go find out. Bunch of cowards voted for staying inside instead of figuring out just what the hell is going on out there. Not like I'm volunteering or anything." He clarified quickly.

Lex moved stiffly past Ted, placing the ice pack into the freezer. She reached over and put the pitcher back in the fridge, Ted moving out of her way as his hands fell to the cups he had poured.

"Maybe we'll both get lucky." Lex shrugged, not quite looking at the other person in the room. "Maybe the power will come back on bright and early tomorrow." She suggested sarcastically as she heard the man snort.

"Yeah. And maybe I'll wake up a better person."

"Can't be any more impossible then god possessing dolls." Lex shrugged with a smile they both knew was insincere.

Chapter Text

Lex really thought she should've known better than to question what was or was not impossible.

Her imaginary friend was apparently real. She had some sort of weird teleporting powers that let her get a gun or a stuffed animal. And now, power had come back to Hatchetfield.

Bright and early.

"Lex?" Alice's voice sounded behind her as she froze. Jaw locking, she turned around.

Alice was standing in the center of the doorway, her hand pulled up close to her chest as she took in the two nearly full bags stacked on Lex's sleeping mat.

"What?" Lex asked irritably. Her entire body was on edge and everything was still too sore.

"You're leaving."

Lex blew air out of her nose as she gave a small smirk.

"We're all leaving. Power's back, unless you forgot."

"I didn't forget." Alice said stiffly. "I think you forgot that they told us not to leave the house until they check to make sure the town's safe."

"Hatchetfield is never going to be safe." Lex rolled her eyes, turning her attention back to her bag.

The plan she had come up with was simple. Not that she had a lot of time to really think it through. Webby had told her that Hatchetfield was a magnet and that Wiggly wasn't really gone. That was all she needed to know.

There was nothing left for her here. Not anymore.

They were lighter than she'd like on clothes, having kept most of the spares in Ethan's car. The same one that was probably still lying trashed in the parking lot of Lakeside. Lex figured it was a good thing she was going home. They could grab a change of clothing and be in and out before--

Her thoughts halted as she felt Alice hovering over her shoulder.

"You're not just leaving the house."

Her voice wasn't accusatory. Somehow that made it more annoying.

"What does it matter to you?" Lex asked, looking up at the ceiling with a sigh. It suddenly occurred to her that it had been way too long since she last had a cigarette.

"Alright, so when I try and leave it's this big problem-"

"Because it was." Lex didn't turn back to her.

"What if you get hurt? Or worse?" Alice continued quickly past the interruption.

Lex sighed giving up on sorting what little belongings she still had. She stood up, turning to meet Alice face to face. Unlike the night in the kitchen, she met Lex's stare evenly.

"Worse doesn't really scare me." Lex said evenly. "You get that way after waking up in a hot trailer with a mom too drunk to remember to shut off the stove."

Her voice cracked, irritably reminding her that her throat was still nearly as bad as it was yesterday. The ice she had applied this morning was already wearing off. The point had been made however as Lex watched Alice's eyes widen. Taking her stunned silence as a victory, she roughly grabbed her backpack up from the ground as she zipped it close. Her collection of pins rattled in the silence between them.

As Lex went to grab Hannah's bag next, she found Alice had already picked it up.

"At least let me come with you."

Lex stared at her as for a just a moment, Alice was replaced with someone else. Someone achingly familiar. She could still hear Ethan's voice in her ears.

You know I'd just follow you anyways.

"Safety in numbers and all." Alice continued, mistaking Lex's silence for consideration.

Swallowing the knot that had grown in her throat, Lex lifted a hand to her forehead as she felt a bitter laugh rise in her chest.

"Christ. And people give me shit for being a dropout." Lex shook her head before snatching the bag away from Alice. "You aren't going anywhere princess. You've got a life here. Live it."

"So what, I'm just supposed to let you guys go on your own?" Alice asked undeterred as she moved to stop Lex from leaving the room.

"Sounds pretty typical to me." Lex shrugged stiffly as she stepped around Alice and continued walking.

She had nearly reached the door when Alice spoke again.

"What about Tom?"

Lex closed her eyes, grateful that Alice was behind her, unable to see her flinch.

"You know he's going to be worried if he comes back and you're gone. Becky too." Alice continued sharply.

"Tom will be fine." Her voice was steady. She made sure it was.

"Yeah, right." Alice sarcastically agreed. "I'm sure he doesn't care about you at all. Definitely didn't go out of his way to say goodbye to you this morning when they left."

Lex sighed, turning around to face Alice. Her eyes were narrowed.

"Why do you feel like you have to leave?"

"I told you, this town is never going to be safe." Lex growled lowly.

"Why?" Alice didn't let it drop.

"Did you ever stop and think that it was fucking weird that those guys who grabbed you kept calling you a heretic? That they were looking for someone specific?"

"You were the one who said they were crazy!" Alice shot back. "And last I checked no one by the name of Alex-whatever is staying here."

As she was speaking, Lex reached into the pocket of her jacket and pulled out her ToyZone nametag. Her thumb quickly rubbed against the label she had made herself, her nail picking at the corner. Peeling it away to reveal the original and faded tag underneath, she smiled bitterly.

Frank had always been such an ass every time she would bug him to reprint it.

"They obviously saw us and got the wrong idea-"

Lex tossed the nametag across the room, watching as Alice caught it, flipping it over in her hands to read the name printed on it.

"Lex is just what I go by." She smiled dryly, a call-back she knew Alice would remember.

Alice's eyes were wide as she stared down at it.

"That night, in the kitchen... that's why you looked so scared." She mumbled quietly, almost to herself. After a moment she looked up. "That's why you stopped me from leaving."

Lex huffed.

"Sure. That, and you had a really stupid plan."

"And this one's better, because?" Alice glared at her.

Lex reached into her pocket, somehow knowing she would find the cold bite of metal waiting beyond the fabric. She didn't know if Tom had taken the gun with him. Didn't care. The words the general told her echoed in her head.

"Because," Lex smirked as she pulled backwards and felt the full weight of the weapon settle into her pocket. "I can defend myself."

Alice's eyes fell to the now clear outline of the gun, her brow furrowing. There was the soft sound of movement in the doorway as they both turned to face Hannah, the tension in the room immediately dropping with her appearance. Lex let her arm fall to the side, carefully blocking the view of her pocket. She craned her neck to look down the hallway, meeting eyes with Tim as he waited awkwardly by the stairs.

"You get his number?" Lex asked gently, turning to look down at her sister with a small smile.

Hannah answered with a nod, holding up a small slip of paper.

"Good. I'll make sure we stop somewhere with a phone often enough so you guys can keep touch." She set her arm on Hannah's head to lean fully out of the doorway, facing Tim. "Remember what I said about getting your father to spend more time with you?"

"Leexx." Hannah whined from underneath her as she tried to shove her older sister off.

Lex humored her, recoiling backwards as she dodged the incoming elbow attack. Sidestepping her sister, she dropped Hannah's bag into her arms as she turned back to see Tim grinning at her.

"Guilt trip him with mom." He answered her with a smirk, earning a laugh from Lex.

"Only if he really deserves it." She corrected him. "Otherwise just guilt trip him normally. If you're really running out of material, team up with Becky."

"Got it." Tim nodded determinedly as Lex felt her heart swell with a bit of pride.

He would be fine.

Everyone would be, once they were gone.

"Alright, we need to leave before Hidgen's wakes up and thinks we are sneaking in and not out." Lex sighed, looking down at her sister as Hannah stared at her with wide eyes. She wordlessly shouldered her backpack before dashing down the hallway to give Tim a hug.

There was a hand on her shoulder as Lex turned back to see Alice staring at her with concern. She was more than used to feeling full of guilt. It was annoying and heavy but she had learned to live with it. Even as it changed to be sharper and angrier as she grew older. As Alice stared at her, the familiar feeling changed again to something cold and hollow.

"You know I'm going to have to tell him, right?"

Lex wondered if her face was that obvious.

"Tell him I'm sorry." Lex shrugged. Her throat began to ache, a knot growing where it had once almost felt normal.

"Be safe?" Alice offered quietly.

"That's the plan." Lex agreed, watching her sister smile at Tim, even as the younger boy turned away, hiding his face.

It was enough to tell her that they had stayed too long.

Hannah walked back to her patiently, offering up a small supportive smile as she waved goodbye to Alice.

Lex didn't turn back.

And Alice didn't follow.

They left out the front door, following the same path the adults had taken earlier. There was only one car left out in the yard, just like she knew there'd be. For a brief moment the night before, Lex had considered taking it. Ted had been a late sleeper the entire time they had stayed.

Then the night had gone on. Moving past the thought didn't mean she got much sleep. Her plan simply changed as she figured someone else had owed her more.

They walked past Ted's car without a second glance.

Slipping past the gate, Lex kept them away from the main road, choosing instead to walk the border of the Witchwood that nearly surrounded the professor's property. As much as the towering trees sent a shiver down her spine, Lex knew it was the best option they had. Her palm started to itch in the same familiar way it always had. Ignoring it, she knew as long as they didn't get too close, it was safer then risking cutting through town.

What came next was supposed to be simple. Ted wasn't the only person she knew to be a late sleeper, to keep their keys out where they could be easily grabbed.

As the sidewalk beneath them faded to a simple unkept gravel road, Lex felt the same clench in her chest she always got when she neared home.

***

For a bunch of people who kept saying they couldn't wait to get home, nobody had seemed excited to leave the safety of Hidgen's property. Charlotte had been the first to volunteer to stay back with the kids as Ted eagerly agreed to stay with her.

In truth, Tom Houston had left Lex in charge. Something he knew she already knew, even as she purposefully avoided his eyes when they left.

Becky had told him not to worry. That she was just going through a lot. Tom knew that wasn't the full truth.

There was a lot he knew about Lex Foster.

They had made plans to scope the town, to check in on everyone's houses to look for damages and to watch for any lingering signs of the cult that had been stalking the streets after Black Friday. They'd start at the house furthest away and work their way back to the center of town. It was Paul's idea to stick to the outskirts of the city. Becky's house bordered the Witchwood at the other end of town, so they could follow it to keep out of the center of town as long as possible.

They drove in silence, most everyone keeping an eye out towards the city streets, waiting to see something different. It was already almost 9 am yet everything was dead quiet. The silence set Tom on edge. His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly as he tried to remind himself that they weren't completely unprepared. Bill had found a baseball bat that he had laid across his lap as Emma anxiously flipped open and closed a pocket knife.

Tom thought back to the gun still laying in the nightstand in the room him and Becky had been sharing. There had been a moment where he considered taking it with him. Instead he had left it behind, knowing Lex would know where to look for it.

It had been hers after all.

"This the place Becks?" Emma asked tapping on the glass in the backseat, pulling Tom's attention back to the road in front of them. At the top of the hill, bordered on 3 sides by the forest, sat a large and lonely home.

"Yep." Becky said quietly, the relief on her face not quite making it to her eyes.

Tom remembered what she had told them this morning. She hadn't been worried, Stanley wanted a house far away from everyone else. Tucked back away where no one could 'bother' them.

His hand unclenched itself from the wheel, reaching over and gently resting on her thigh.

"That's one." He said stiffly, taking note of Becky's thankful expression. "Where to next?"

Technically the next closest house would have been Tom's, but Bill also lived close to the outskirts of town. If they went there next they'd still have a reason to avoid going into town, with Paul and Emma's apartments just down the street.

It was decided that they would check on his home last.

Minutes later he pulled them into seemingly untouched neighborhood. They drove by house after house, all still fully intact. The cars were pulled into driveways neatly and windows were shut tightly.

Becky quietly suggested that whatever damage might have occurred had already been cleaned up. Nobody spoke as they slowly drove past the address Bill gave, finally noting the nervous eyes watching them through the windows of the nearby homes.

Nervous, but normal.

They didn't stop.

The first sign of normalcy they ran into was 2 streets deep into downtown, about a block away from their next destination. Paul was the first one to notice it, sinking low in the backseat as he covered his face. Tom noticed it next, making sure to slow down as he saw a group of people slowly move out of the road to make room. They were dressed in green aprons, carrying trash bags and rags, working on cleaning up whatever glass and litter they came across. Tom thought he recognized Harmony Jones as she leered at the people in his backseat. Catching eyes with the driver, her expression changed to a friendly one, holding up a single hand in quick wave as she directed a couple volunteers to start work on a large patch of graffiti.

Tom hesitantly lifted his own hand to wave back.

Had it not been so quiet, had they not been the only ones seemingly on the road, it would've almost felt normal.

Paul and Emma's apartment building had a large sign on front door that read in bold letters:

UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT. INQUIRE WITHIN.

Bill volunteered to get out with them to check on what exactly that meant as Tom and Becky stayed back to watch over the car. They sat without speaking, listening to the unusual quiet of the morning. As Tom waited anxiously for the rest of their group to return, that very silence slowly began to twist. It started off subtle, as it normally did, the buzzing building slowly until it took over his thoughts. Feeling too restless to stay still, he kicked the driver's door open as he took a step out into the cool morning. The chill breeze lessened the pinpricks of irritation on his skin.

He heard the passenger door crack open.

"Tom?"

"Fine." He growled roughly, not at Becky. He took a breath to calm himself. "I'm fine. Just on edge."

"If we need to take a break-"

"I just don't understand what they did with all our stuff." Emma's sharp voice stopped Becky short of her reassurance.

They both turned to see her, Paul and Bill pushing through the front door of the building, looking dejected and irritated. Paul had a stack of papers in his hands as he read through them carefully.

"I'm sure they'll have it available in a storage locker or something. If it's as quick of a change as they said-"

"Annnd, there's a clause in here about 'forfeiting all possessions that have gone unclaimed for more than 24 hours'." Paul sighed as Emma clung to his arm to lean over and read for herself.

"What's going on?" Tom pushed himself off the car door as he took a step forward to meet them.

"Lost our apartment." Emma growled, rolling her eyes as she walked away from Bill and Paul, both now pouring over the document. "Apparently the old owner died in the mall and the place got bought up by some rich asshat. Who, won't give us the place back because we were 'assumed dead'."

"Bullshit." Tom growled, almost thankful for the opportunity to get off the open street. He started to march towards the door as Paul caught his arm.

He dropped it with a squeak when he looked up to see Tom glaring at him.

"It's no use." He explained quickly, glancing down again at the paperwork in his hands. "It's all right here. Legally, we don't even live there anymore. The unit has already been sold to someone new."

"Who the fuck is looking for a real estate deal at a time like this?"

Paul shrugged. "Apparently they ran a Black Friday special."

"You get the name of whoever sniped your apartment?" Tom asked over his shoulder at Emma, currently leaning against the car with crossed arms.

"It's whatever Tom. If Paul says we can't fight it, I believe him." She shrugged. "We'll just stay at Hidgen's for a little longer."

"Not happening. You're family, which means you'll stay with me."

He felt Becky's eyes watching him as Emma stood up straighter, her arms unfolding.

"We're not the ones who need the space." She replied evenly.

Tom met her eyes. He knew what she was hinting at. Who she was hinting at. He shook his head as he breathed out a quick laugh. If only she knew how impossible that conversation would be. He'd have better luck marching in there to confront whatever suit had handed them those papers.

"Well if you don't stay with Tom, I'd be more than happy to put you guys up-"

"That's really ok, Bill." Paul half-heartedly assured his friend with a gentle pat, shooting Emma a quick look. He turned to Tom carefully. "Why don't we just finish our trip through town and we can talk about this later."

Tom sniffed. Right. One more stop.

They all piled back into the car in silence. The buzzing was still there, in the back of his head, but Tom ignored it. It grew quieter when Becky placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

Tom hadn't been as isolated as Becky, but when he had returned from his tour, the first thing he did was search for a house with a yard. He had been lucky enough to find a place at the very outskirts of a nice neighborhood. A corner plot, tucked back on its own road. They just needed a house big enough to get married in, to raise a kid in. To host, if Jane's sister ever came home.

It was the first time that day they had come across the real damage of the night.

Becky was the only one who could find her voice.

"Oh Tom… I'm so sorry." She gasped, staring out the window at the sight before them.

Tom's house, the place his life had started and ended, was now a pile of timber and ash. Completely burnt to the ground.

The buzzing in his head was gone. Tom blinked, seeing 2 bright flashes of light left in his vision as his eyes opened and it was all still gone. He threw the car in park as he opened the door, his eyes never leaving the sight in front of him.

He could still see the outline of what used to be walls. The foundation was about the only thing left intact. It almost looked accidental. He could've fooled himself into thinking it was. That was until he looked to the concrete slab of the garage. The pale white slab looked like it had been purposefully cleared off. It was still messy, ash and burn marks left where timbers had been dragged, where burnt debris had been moved and tossed in with the rest of his ruined belongings. At the center of it all was a scrawled message, green spray-paint mocked him as he saw a familiar smiling alien face. Underneath was a simple sentiment.

<3 Wiggly.

"We… we didn't know." Emma said quietly behind him. He hadn't heard her open the door. "When we left, everyone had already started evacuating the area."

Tom knew he should walk forward, try to sort through the wreckage to find anything left intact. Any remaining part of his old life. The one he had already felt so disconnected to when Jane died. It felt like this was sharper, more direct. A cut in the only thread he had remaining to everything he knew before. He turned his head, looking over his shoulder as he took in Emma's expression. Her eyes were wide, full of a foreign guilt that he hadn't seen in them before. It felt more wrong then the ruins behind him.

"You got Tim out." He said plainly, his face not giving away any emotion.

"Yeah." She agreed quietly.

Tom moved stiffly to get back in the car, his hands falling back on the steering wheel. He heard Emma's door shut as Paul shifted closer to his girlfriend.

"You all are more than welcome to stay with me." Becky said quickly, breaking the heavy silence of the car. Silence Tom hadn't realized he could hear again. She met his eyes with a smile that didn't quite match her expression. "Stanley wanted the space but it was always way too big for just the two of us."

Tom felt his fingers dig into the steering wheel. Becky turned back to the backseat.

"It would be nice to finally fill it with people."

"That would be very generous Becky… thank you." Paul nodded, looking over at Emma to confirm.

"The girls would be welcome too, of course." Becky said quietly, placing a hand on his arm as Tom released the steering wheel from his vice grip. It creaked as he pushed off of it.

"That's going to be up to Lex to decide."

They had to get back to Hidgen's, though Tom already knew what was waiting for him there. He knew that Tim was waiting for them to come back. His boy, who had already attached himself to Becky. Like it was that easy to just let someone else in. Though he had never hurt for friends before, it had been a long time since he had seen him as happy and carefree as he was around Hannah.

Tom wondered if Lex saw it too. Wondered if that would make a difference.

"That's bullshit Tom, and you know it." Emma growled lowly, breaking him from his thoughts as he turned carefully in his seat.

Everyone's eyes followed them, waiting for the inevitable follow-up on the tension that had been present earlier.

Emma wasn't one to be subtle.

"You can't seriously leave it up to Lex to decide what's best for her, because she won't choose it."

"That's not entirely fair-" Tom started patiently before her eyes flashed.

"Yet it's true!" Emma shot back quickly, staring him down. "She's been making decisions based on what's best for Hannah her entire life. Decisions that are pretty fucking limited by their shit mother."

"Yeah, well, how do you suggest I approach it then?" Tom argued back, barely letting her finish. "Hey Lex, I know the last time you really needed me, I fucked off and let you flunk out of school. And I know you have no experience with anyone ever actually taking care of you, but why don't you move in to a house with a whole bunch of adults who barely have any experience in not fucking up a kid's whole life?"

"Well, I think that sounds like a great way of approaching it! You have to open up the conversation somehow." Bill jumped in before Emma could respond.

As the car went quiet, Paul put his hands on his friend's shoulders, pulling him back into the backseat.

"Bill. Not really the time to add in your thoughts, buddy." He said quietly, patting the man's shoulder.

"You suck at this you know." Emma pointed out to Tom, her voice clipped.

"I'm aware." Tom shot back childishly.

"Why don't we just go and talk to their mother? If you aren't sure Lex will listen to you, then we can at least tell her she needs to do better for her kids." Bill suggested after a moment as Paul quickly moved to grab him again.

"Bill! What did I just-"

"Wait. He's got a point." Becky spoke up, cutting Paul off and grabbing everyone's attention. "Medically, Lex is still going to be experiencing symptoms of asthma. If you want to let her choose for herself where she's going then whoever she stays with needs to be made aware."

"I still don't think she should get a choice." Emma suggested bitterly before sighing. "But seeing Tom finally beat up Pam after all these years would go a long way towards fixing how shitty this morning has been."

"I'm not going to beat her up." Tom rolled his eyes, his hands twitching on the wheel.

Eager for any sort of distraction away from the hollowness he felt in his chest, Tom moved the car into drive. His eyes watched the ruins of his home grow smaller and smaller in the rearview, the guilt he always seemed to feel gladly rising in his chest to fill the hole left behind. He pulled them back towards the Witchwood, turning down the road he knew Pamela Foster lived on.

Of course he knew where Pam lived. He should've had a conversation with her a long time ago.

Quiet conversations began to start up in the back seat. Apparently they had passed Ted and Charlotte's apartments, though Tom didn't notice. He heard the topic shift to their jobs, and whether or not society was starting back up again. The road turned to gravel as they left downtown for the second time that day. Harmony Jones and her crew had either had left or moved on as the streets were once again empty.

Their voices faded to whispers as Tom squinted ahead, swearing he could make out people standing at the end of the road. He slowed the car down, carefully watching as the trailer homes slowly moved past them one by one. At the end of the drive, right up against the trees, he made out two familiar figures.

"Tom... is that-"

"Dammit." He cursed quietly, stopping Becky short as she covered her mouth with her hand.

Everyone fell silent. Tom put the car in park, several feet away from the Foster sisters.

"You all stay here and keep your mouths shut." Tom growled sternly, his body moving into autopilot. As he opened and closed the car door, Hannah looked up and watched him carefully, still holding tight to Lex's sleeve.

Lex hadn't moved at all.

She hadn't turned when they had pulled closed, didn't flinch as Tom slammed the car door harder then he meant to. Her eyes were fixed on the ground in front of her, her sleeve still clutched in Hannah's hand.

Tom took another look over at the trailer home in front of them. The entire thing had been flipped onto its side, the wreckage spilling into the trees nearby. It was almost completely ruined, the entire structure having buckled under its own weight, looking like a cardboard box that had been clumsily flattened.

Looking around, he took note of the rest of the homes. All intact. The entire area looked almost as untouched as Bill's neighborhood had been. Turning back to the mess in front of them, Tom realized this had been purposeful, almost like whoever did it wanted anyone still trapped inside to be hurt.

He looked down at the muddy tire tracks he was walking over, realizing with some relief that it had been a couple of days since they had been made.

He supposed it was a good thing that no one had been home when it happened.

"That all your stuff?" Tom asked stiffly, breaking the silence as he pointed to the bags both girls were carrying.

Lex still didn't move, didn't acknowledge the fact that she had been spoken to. After a moment, Hannah nodded, answering the question for both of them.

"Why don't you go ahead and wait in the car, ok? Let me have a word with Lex." Tom turned to Hannah, unable to summon up the comforting smile he should have.

Hannah's hand tightened on her sister's arm for just a moment as Tom was afraid that neither would listen to him. Then slowly, Hannah let go. She shuffled towards the car, looking back over her shoulder between Tom and her sister before climbing into the front seat, behind the wheel. Becky turned to her immediately. He was sure her voice was more reassuring then his was.

"I'm not sad." Lex growled, her body stiff as Tom turned back to her.

"Didn't say you were."

"You going to yell at me? Tell me I shouldn't have left?" Lex asked. Her voice was emotionless, barely above a whisper.

"No." He said shortly. "I figured you might."

Tom could feel everyone's eyes on him. Could imagine how anxious Becky was, how frustrated Emma was that he hadn't just dragged Lex back to the car by now.

He walked forward a step, standing right next to Lex as he turned to face the wreckage head on.

"Let me guess," Tom started, kicking his boot into the dirt underneath them. "She took the car."

"Yeah." Lex's nose twitched as her eyes hardened. Her shoulders raised stiffly.

Tom wondered which room had been hers. Glass was everywhere, beer bottles shattered in the upturn of the home. Through the crumbling and torn walls the shards of glass caught the sunlight just reaching above the trees of the Witchwood and cast long jagged shadows across the lawn.

"Surprised they didn't burn it down." Tom said gruffly.

"Probably figured I wanted to do it myself."

Tom took a chance, setting his large hand on Lex's shoulder. She didn't shrug him off.

"Mine's gone too." He admitted quietly.

Lex finally moved, turning to look up at him with wide eyes.

"What?" She sounded so small, the emotion that had been painfully missing before now almost choking her voice.

Tom's hand tightened. Lex would usually be the first to poke at fresh wounds. Anything to get a reaction, to get attention. She liked to pretend that it justified everyone's treatment of her. That it fit in the armor she had crafted to be short with anyone and everyone that wasn't her sister.

He had been on the receiving end enough times to know it certainly didn't help her case.

Still, that wasn't the kid Tom knew.

Tom knew a lot about Lex Foster. He knew that she liked classic horror movies. That she listened to metal bands in front of her friends and listened to soulful acoustic when she thought no one would hear. Tom knew that some days Lex would flinch at her own name and pronouns. He knew that she had a crush on Ethan before he had even started talking to her. Knew that boy had fallen harder than Lex would've ever been able to accept.

Tom Houston knew that Lex went to the library after school to use the computers there to check on Hannah's grades, that she used them to pay her mother's bills when they ran late. He knew that she would sometimes end up walking the local prude Grace Chasity, home on the nights she was held late at babysitting appointments near her job.

He knew that she would be the first to get defensive if you ever accused her about caring.

Tom knew the kid that was standing in front of the ruins of her home, facing the idea of having been completely abandoned, somehow looking up at him like he was the real victim. He smiled as he let out a short, bitter chuckle.

Emma was right.

"Come on." He said plainly, patting Lex's shoulder roughly. "Becky said she'd put us both up."

Lex blinked, searching his eyes for a truth she always expected. For a rug pull she had trained herself to be wary of. When she didn't seem to find it, she peered around Tom at the car he had pulled up in.

Everyone within immediately straightened, their eyes quickly darting to find something else to stare at as they acted like they weren't all watching the two talk. Hannah stared at their behavior with a frown.

"Us?" Lex asked, her eyebrow raising as she looked back at Tom.

"Me, Tim, Paul, Emma-"

"Wait. Their place got wrecked too?"

"Try evicted and assumed dead."

Lex thought for a moment, flicking something around in her pocket.

"Tim will be excited to spend more time with them."

"You and Hannah too."

"We don't really have a choice, do we?" Lex asked quietly, turning to face the ruined trailer once again. Her eyes fell on a poster, pinned and folded between the walls. Tom squinted at it, recognizing the ripped shape of a familiar state.

California hadn't only been Hannah's dream.

"Emma said I shouldn't give you one." Tom rumbled. "Said you make bad choices when it comes to taking care of yourself."

"Big talk coming from the woman who's dream it is to grow weed for a living." Lex shot back bitterly.

Tom chuckled as he moved his hand from Lex's shoulder to the top of her head.

"Tell you what, you come with us and I'll let you choose your room before them." Tom offered.

"You say that like I'm five." She grumbled as Tom slid his hand off her head, pulling her hood down as he did.

"I mean, it's either that or I can ask how you're feeling about your mother-"

"God, no." Lex stopped him flipping her hood back down around her neck as she glared at him.

"Then we're in agreement. You get in the car and we'll get back to Hidgens and let the others know-"

"I'm not going back there."

Tom raised an eyebrow.

"That eager to pick out your room?" He offered, letting them both have an out of talking about the guilt that was now obvious in her voice.

Lex recognized the excuse immediately, a faint smile crossing her face. Her eyes looked relieved as her shoulders dropped. The sight filled in a fear Tom hadn't realized he had been carrying.

Looking at her relax, he realized what had been missing from her eyes that morning. This time, he knew Lex wouldn't run. Turning back to the car, he caught everyone within once again pretending they weren't watching.

Behind him, Lex quietly took a slip of paper out of her pocket, balling it up in her fist as she tossed it on top of the wreckage. Tom only got a glimpse of the start of a letter before Lex quickly passed him.

"Sure you don't want to let me drive?" She taunted, turning to smirk at him as his eyes narrowed. "With your track record-"

"And let you crash our only car? I think the fuck not. You can ask me for lessons when we aren't still watching our backs for cultists." Tom shut her down as Lex rolled her eyes.

They watched Hannah climb over to Becky as Lex jumped up onto the trunk. He gave her a dry stare as she shrugged, gesturing to the absolutely full car.

"Could've let me drive."

"If you fall off, I'm not coming back for you." Tom warned her as she smiled.

"Not my first time bumming a ride."

"I hate that." He reminded her as she chuckled.

Becky's worried stare bore into him as he heard Bill start to protest. Emma was the first to shut him down, telling him that she rode on the back of cars all the time when she was younger. Reminding him that Alice probably had already done the same thing. It sent him on a different spiral as Tom ignored them both, checking in with Hannah silently. Her eyes flicked to check on Lex before shooting him a small smile. As he shifted the car out of park, he turned to the rearview mirror as he watched Lex stare at her old home. The smirk she had worn earlier fell from her face as her eyes turned dark.

Despite Lex's confidence, Tom took every part of the drive back to Becky's house slow.

Every part except that first gravel road.

Lex knew to expect it, her hands digging in to the grooves of the trunk as she held on. Bill and Paul both had expressed their concerns, but Tom knew Lex understood. That she was thinking the same exact thing he had as the wreckage of her home grew smaller and smaller in the distance.

The sooner it was all left behind, the better.

Chapter Text

Alice's gut twisted as the sidewalk ended. Her feet ached as she glanced down at her phone once more, checking the map. The idea had started off strong. She'd get out the house, stay away for a couple of days, just until she could think again.

That was almost 30 minutes ago.

What was she even going to say?

Paul had been her babysitter when she was younger, and he had always been a good listener whenever she had to vent about her dad. But this? This was crazy.

Her hands dug into the straps of her backpack as she drew closer to the house that was marked on the map, now seeing it peak above the trees at the edge of Hatchetfield. As she walked up the hill, Alice looked into the endless green surrounding her and the house both, feeling a chill go down her spine as she realized it was closest she had ever been to the witchwoods.

A flicker of a rumor surfaced in her mind.

She took him out to the woods so they wouldn't find the body.

Her thoughts didn't have time to settle before her eyes caught sight of something moving quickly towards her from up on the hill.

"Alice!" Hannah Foster called as she ran down to greet her, her hand gripping tightly to a familiar hat on her head.

Blinking, Alice held out her arms in reaction, pleasantly surprised when she felt Hannah crash into them. She squeezed the kid gently, a small smile making its way onto her face.

"Hey, Hannah. Didn't think I'd see you today." Alice said gently, looking over the girl with a smile.

There was a noticeable difference in the way Hannah held herself up. Her eyes were lighter and her smile was brighter. The chill that had haunted Alice earlier was chased away in the kid's warmth.

"I thought you might show up." Hannah grinned. "Webby said you would chicken out."

Alice huffed playfully as she looked up at the house, trying to see if anyone was watching. She was sure her father had already told the whole office at this point, not surprised that Hannah had probably overheard it from someone, somewhere.

She had always been surprisingly perceptive.

"And here I thought Webby was finally warming up to me." Alice pouted as Hannah's eyes brightened further.

It had taken her awhile to understand when Lex spoke to her sister about Webby, just how important she was to Hannah. Lex was always guarded when she mentioned her sister's imaginary friend, but Hannah spoke about her freely. Like she was just always there. There was no harm in it, and Alice knew Webby made Hannah feel safe.

Even if the spider was a little judgmental at times.

As the younger girl shrugged, Alice looked again up the house. She was already aware that Paul and Emma had been staying with Tom and Becky. Which probably meant that Hannah was likely just visiting Tim.

"Your sister around somewhere?" Alice asked, not exactly knowing if she wanted an answer.

Hannah looked at her carefully before looking back and pointing at one of the upper windows. It was the only room that had the blinds completely shut.

Alice frowned, her mind spinning slightly as she bit her lip. She had heard everything that happened after Lex left the safe house almost a week ago. Part of Alice had been relieved, knowing that at least somewhere in town Lex was still alive. That she wouldn't have to wonder.

The other part of her remembered the fear hidden in older teen's voice as she growled that Hatchetfield would never be safe.

The wind picked up slightly as Alice felt her regret hit her in a wave. This was crazy. It was just a break-up, maybe her dad was right-

"You were going to ask to stay for a couple of days, right?" Hannah spoke up, cutting Alice's spiral short.

"That was the plan." Alice answered with a sigh. "Think Paul will go for it?"

"I think so. Lexi says it's already really nice of them for letting us stay. Why would it be different for you?"

Alice blinked, looking down at Hannah with wide eyes. Her dad hadn't mentioned much about the Foster sisters, only telling her that Tom had convinced them to stay in town.

Not that he had convinced them to stay with him.

With a small smile, Hannah took her hand and began leading them both up to the house.

"So you guys are just… living here?" Alice asked after a moment.

"Mhmm." Hannah confirmed without turning around.

A small flicker of relief fluttered in Alice's chest. This was good news. If they were ok with letting the sister's stay, then chances were good that they'd at least consider letting her stay as well. Still, her stomach twisted once again as they stopped just short of the neatly kept front porch. Her little guide dropped her hand as she turned to face her.

"Staying here will be good. I know it." Hannah reassured her with a small smile.

"You get that from your sister you know." The sentiment felt right, though Alice was left almost as surprised as Hannah when she said it.

Hannah's head cocked. "Get what?"

"Just the whole… caring about others thing."

Hannah looked up again at the window she had pointed out earlier, the smile slipping from her face.

"Lexi's still really worried."

Alice smiled, looking down at what she knew was the principle cause of almost all of Lex's worries.

"Yeah, well. I could've told you that." Alice laughed as she took a deep breath and faced the front door. "Wish me luck?"

"You don't need it." Hannah answered, confused, before they both heard Tim call out.

Waving quickly at Alice, Hannah took off towards the back of the house where the other kid's voice had come from. Once again, she was left alone with her thoughts. In the distance she heard the familiar sound of both Hannah and Tim's laughter, not realizing how much she had missed it. This almost felt normal.

Almost.

Taking another deep breath, Alice approached the door, hesitating for a moment with her hand held up to knock. After a moment, she dropped it, feeling it rest firmly on the handle. Finding the house unlocked, she pushed her way inside.

"Yes, I'll keep an eye out for her, but Bill I really think you are overreacting. Town's gone mostly back to normal. The government's sweeping up anyone who's left."

Alice made a face as she stepped into the entryway, already hearing Paul's voice take on the exasperated tone it normally did when speaking to her father. She shut the door gently behind her, enough to make a sound, but not enough to startle anyone.

The entryway was wide and led off in two directions, to her left was a spacious dining room and to her right was an open living room. Ahead of her was a walkway ending in stairs that led to the upstairs balcony and the rooms beyond. As she looked around, Alice heard movement coming from the dining room as Paul's voice continued to argue.

"I really doubt the United States military would be interested in some teenage girl-"

As his voice drifted through the house, Alice met eyes with Emma who had poked her head back through the doorway of the dining room.

Her eyebrows raising, Emma quickly disappeared only to re-emerge seconds later, dragging with her a bemused looking Paul as he held his phone up to his ear. He lifted his free hand in a small, stiff wave before turning around and going back into the kitchen.

"So she's here. And with her stuff. I doubt Becky's going to say no. You going to tell me why your daughter needs space away from you this time?"

Alice smiled, feeling a little lighter as she recognized the acceptance in his voice. Emma leaned against the doorway of the dining room, eavesdropping on the conversation beyond.

"Did you ever think your break-up would be the talk of the town?" Emma asked dryly.

Alice shook her head, rolling her eyes.

"No. But I should've known better, knowing my dad."

"Well, I wouldn't worry too much. Beck's got a bleeding heart, she won't turn you back to him until you're ready." Emma shrugged, looking over her shoulder and into the kitchen as they both heard Paul sigh. After a moment, she turned back. "Lex's upstairs. 3rd room on the right, unless you want to hang around with the kids in the backyard."

Alice's hands tightened on the strap of her bag. She knew why Emma offered, they both knew Bill was about to keep Paul on the phone for the next hour talking over the same points that made Alice want to leave in the first place.

Looking up the stairs, she knew that her best bet at not having to answer anything to do with Deb or herself was Lex.

"Wait, he said what?!" Emma's voice sounded suddenly as her full attention was pulled into the kitchen.

Alice hid her smile behind her sleeve as she moved towards the steps. She stopped halfway up, listening back to the kitchen for just a moment.

"Fucking. Dumbass." Emma said more quietly this time, with no less venom, as Alice heard the rattle of doors opening and closing and the conversation moved out of earshot.

In its place she heard the soft sound of music drifting down the hall upstairs. It was a relaxed beat, with gentle acoustics. It wasn't anywhere close to what Alice would have expected to hear. She made her way to the room she had been directed too, pausing for just a moment outside the door.

Past the noise, Alice heard a familiar voice.

"Fucking, why the fuck would a warehouse position need a damn bachelor's degree?"

Alice opened the door, noticing as Lex instantly turned around in her chair. She frowned, wondering how the other girl even heard her over the sound of the music. The two met eyes as Lex made a face, reaching over to turn down the volume on her stereo.

"I take it the job hunt is going well?" Alice asked.

"Didn't think I could actually miss my piece of shit stocking position." Lex answered, closing the laptop she had been working on. "What are you doing here? Finally ditched your annoying dad?"

Alice shrugged, taking the tease in stride as she moved to sit on the single bed in the room. She gingerly picked up Lex's jacket, feeling the girl's eyes on her as she moved to hang it properly off the bed frame.

"Finally escape your dead-beat mom?" Alice shot back, reaching over and picking up Hannah's stuffed rabbit as she noticed just how much cleaner he looked.

Lex snorted.

"More like she ditched us. Took the car, left the trailer to get trashed in the riots."

Gently placing the rabbit with his back sitting against the pillows, Alice looked around the room. It was clearly designed to be a guest bedroom. The sheets perfectly matched the curtains and there were no decorations on the walls. There were only a few items that really seemed out of place. Lex had set up a large, dusty stereo on the desk next to a thick power cord that was hooked into what was possibly the oldest looking laptop Alice had ever seen. The sister's bags were set right next to the door, still looking almost as full as they did that last night they stayed at Professor's house.

"Is that really such a bad thing?" Alice asked after a moment.

"Couldn't keep paying the rent on that thing anyways. Not without a job." Lex sighed, her fingers drumming on the desk. Her eyes closed as her head fell against her fist. "Guess I always meant to move Hannah to an apartment eventually."

"So you're not still planning on leaving town?" Alice asked after a moment.

Lex peeked one eye open and stared at her.

"And you're not still planning on running away with Deb?" She deflected with a smirk.

Alice knew she was just trying to get a reaction. If Hannah had figured it out by now, chances were pretty good Lex had too.

"Ha. Ha." Alice played along dryly, purposefully making herself more comfortable as she sat further up on the bed and leaned against the wall. "I'm surprised you're not out watching Hannah."

Lex shrugged as she looked beyond Alice, checking the hallway as she reached over and pulled a small box from underneath the bed.

"Webby tells her to keep away from the woods and that's enough for me. Nobody else knows we're staying here." Lex said softly, placing the box on the desk as she gingerly opened it.

Alice leaned forward, watching over Lex's shoulder as she pulled out a faded white ukulele and started to tune it. Next to her the radio crackled, switching to a gentler tune.

Closing her eyes, Lex started to play along with the melody. She made a face as one string seemed to still be off, despite her earlier attempts.

"I didn't know you played." Alice said softly, leaning back again as she stared at the ceiling.

"I don't." Lex answered simply, plucking the out of tune string loudly. "Not this thing anyways. I used to have a guitar that I would mess around with. Becky found this in the basement the other day so I asked if I could try and fix it up."

Alice watched as Lex looked down at the small instrument in her arms, her expression unreadable.

"I think Hannah would like it. If I could ever fix this stupid string." Lex growled as she aggressively plucked it again, the off tune note causing Alice to wince. Leaning over, she quickly grabbed the instrument out of Lex's hands as she inspected it.

"What, you suddenly an expert?" Lex asked sarcastically, leaning back in the chair as she crossed her arms.

"Deb played all the time. I just picked up a couple of things." Alice replied stiffly, turning her focus back on the strings themselves.

Lex had done a good job of tuning the others, despite claiming she didn't play. If she couldn't get a single string to tune chances were-

"Here." Alice pointed out, pointing at the difference in the color of the strings themselves. "Someone put the wrong string on the end. It's not tuning because it's another G and not an A."

Lex sighed as she gently took the instrument back and placed it back in its box.

"Suppose that's what I get for not buying one new. How much you think to get a new set entirely? 4, 5 bucks?"

"Last I heard they were like 6? But I'm sure I've got a new ones somewhere at home. Deb liked keeping spares in my room."

Lex stopped what she was doing as she looked up from the desk and met Alice's eyes. Guess she must've heard the crack in her voice too.

"Ew." Lex said plainly, her eyes not moving.

Alice smiled, feeling the knot loosen in her throat.

"I'd rather them go to Hannah then in the dump." She shrugged.

"That bad?"

"Worse." Alice admitted, her hands clenching into the bed sheets. Worse didn't even begin to cover it.

Sealing the box up again, Lex bent down to slide it back into its hiding place leaning close to Alice as she did. Without a word, she plucked her jacket off the frame of the bed as she got to her feet. Sliding it loosely onto her shoulders, she tilted her head in Alice's direction.

"Come on, let's go see if we can borrow Tim's pop-gun and shoot some shit. Tom's been telling me I need to practice."

***

CRACK

The pellet hit the can perfectly as it went flying off the fence and into the forest. Lex shook her head as she made a face, plucking the weapon back from Alice as the girl smirked.

Lex held it out in front of her, remembering the way Tom had taught her to hold the real gun. Looking down the barrel, she aimed at the next can in line. Pressing the trigger, Lex watched down the hill as her target merely vibrated as a result of the pellet burying itself into the wooden fence underneath it.

"Damn it." She growled as Alice took the gun back and fired off 3 more quick shots. One for each remaining can.

They each hit their mark perfectly, punching a hole right in the center before the impact sent them flying away.

"Fuck you." Lex said plainly as Alice pretended to blow imaginary smoke from the barrel.

"No. You're going to let me have this today." Alice smirked back, clearly in a better mood.

"If shooting a couple cans off a fence with a children's toy is what does it for you..."

"You're just mad because I'm the better shot."

"I'm not mad, just annoyed. Tom has better shit to do then making sure I can hit a can off some bullshit fence."

Alice gave her a small smile as she held the gun out.

"Yeah, well, I got nothing better to do then avoiding my own stupid feelings." Alice shrugged. "So why don't we work together? Unless you want to go back to finding warehouse positions that require a PHD?"

Rolling her eyes, Lex grabbed the handle of the pop gun, flicking the safety on as she tucked it into her pocket.

"You're going past the fence to get those cans. I'm not setting foot in there." Lex said plainly, moving past Alice as she started down the steps from the porch.

Awhile later, Lex found herself once again on the balcony, looking down the sight of the toy gun as she squinted at her target.

"Alright, so your posture is probably fine, but it really looks like you're overthinking it."

"He spent like 3 hours on just getting me stand right the other night and you're going to stand there and tell me I'm doing it wrong?" Lex snapped irritably as she pointed the gun to the ground and looked over her shoulder at Alice.

The other girl was trying her best not to laugh.

"No, not wrong, but, here look-" Alice started, moving to stand next to Lex as she grabbed her shoulders firmly and pushed down. "If you keep your shoulders way up here you'll never know where you're actually aiming."

Alice stayed right behind her as Lex raised the gun up again. As she did, the other girl increased the pressure on her shoulders, immediately feeling them raise again.

"If you don't relax I'm going to start thinking that it's me making you nervous. And then you'll have more than just the trailer trash allegations to beat."

"Don't get your hopes up." Lex shrugged her off as she took a deep breath and got back into position. This time, she kept her shoulders down.

After a moment of aiming, Lex pressed the trigger and they both watched as the bullet caught the very top of the can, tipping it over the edge and into the grass below.

"That's a hit!" Alice cheered, clapping her hands together with a smile.

"Barely." Lex smiled despite herself. "Can't imagine how relaxed I'm going to be when it's not just a can."

"Lex Foster being naturally relaxed?" Alice teased. "Yeah, that won't happen. We'll just have to make it muscle memory."

"Fine. Tell me what else I'm doing wrong."

"I already said you're not doing anything wrong." Alice quickly corrected her. "You just have to get more used to firing it."

Her hands quickly moved to guide Lex's arms back up into a proper firing position, smacking her shoulders sharply as Alice noticed them tense once again.

"I'm starting to think you're enjoying this a bit too much." Lex growled, letting Alice position her body correctly.

"This was your idea." Alice reminded her, her hands placed on Lex's shoulders as she pushed them down.

"I should know better than to try and be nice I guess."

Her finger curled impatiently around the trigger as they both watched the shot bury itself into the bark of a nearby tree. Lex shrugged off Alice's hands as she quickly readjusted and aimed again. This time, the pellet sent the can cleanly off the fence and flying into the forest.

Releasing the breath she didn't know she was holding, Lex smirked.

"So it was your fault."

Alice snorted as she rolled her eyes.

"Good luck beating the allegations now." She smirked back. "Can't even shoot straight with a pretty girl hanging off you."

Lex fired off two more pellets, watching as only one hit the can off the fence, neither girl sure which one did it.

"Or I just have shit aim no matter what." Lex shrugged instead. She picked up the gun and looked down the barrel at the last can on the fence.

Feeling a confidence that wasn't present before, Lex smirked.

"If I make this you have to tell me what happened between you and Deb."

"W-what?" Alice asked, turning to Lex as she took a deep breath, making sure to remember to lower her shoulders.

At the end of her exhale, she pulled the trigger. This time the pellet went straight through the center of the can, leaving it still for just a second before it rocked and fell backwards.

Lex turned to Alice. "You heard me."

"I didn't agree to it." Alice said quickly, her eyes narrowing.

Lex remembered the watery look in her eyes that she had when she mentioned the strings in her room. How quiet she had been when setting up. Sighing, Lex turned to lean her back against the railing, flicking the safety on the gun as she stared into the house.

"You don't have to do anything." Lex said quickly. "But people are always going on about how you're supposed to talk about your problems."

"I don't have problems." Alice growled quickly. "And what makes you think I'd even want to tell you anyways?"

"I'm a good listener?" Lex suggested dryly, her eyebrow raising.

That cracked the mask. Alice snorted, covering her face as she shook her head.

"You literally are not."

"Only if you aren't interesting."

Alice had a glint to her eyes as she tilted her head expectantly.

"Oh so you find me interesting now?"

"So I'm curious. Sue me." Lex growled, ignoring the other girls smirk. "Guess I'm just trying to figure out why a princess like you is running away from home to go stay with the outcasts of Hatchetfield for a couple of days. And not, I don't know, crashing at a friend's house."

"Hard to crash at anyone's house when they were all in on it anyways." Alice admitted bitterly, leaning against the railing next to Lex. Her arms crossed in front of her as she stared into the Witchwood.

"How do you have multiple people 'in' on a break-up?"

"When everybody knows about it but you." Alice shrugged, her shoulders brushing against Lex's. "Deb and Ziggy have been friends since they were kids. Of course during the riots they'd find each other and not even think about wherever the hell I was."

Lex hummed as she adjusted slightly, closing the space between them.

"And to think you were pissed at me for stopping you from leaving that first night."

"Saved me some embarrassment at least." Alice agreed dryly, leaning into Lex's shoulder a bit more firmly. "Too bad you couldn't save me from the fucking text I got this morning."

"It was over text? Fuck." Lex breathed out. "No wonder you ran all the way out here."

"I guess that's not really, completely fair." Alice admitted quietly, her head dropping onto her crossed arms. "Deb tried to call me, when I found out, but I just, I ignored her. I already knew what she was going to say."

Lex shifted her weight to gently bump into Alice, grabbing her attention as she turned to look at her.

"If you already knew what she was going to say, then she did too." Lex pointed out. "The world isn't fair. Doesn't make what she did right."

Alice gave her a weak smile, studying her eyes carefully. Faintly, Lex found herself wondering what she saw.

"You're surprisingly good at this."

"Huh?" Lex blanked, taking a moment to shake her head. "Sorry, I wasn't listening."

For a moment she enjoyed the look of confusion and irritation on Alice's face. She was sure the small smirk she couldn't keep off her face gave it away before anything else.

"I take it back. You are the worst and I regret telling you anything."

"I was wondering when you'd finally admit it." Lex sniffed, unaffected by the sarcasm. She pushed herself off the railing and turned towards the woods. "Come on, let's get our shit and get inside. It's cold as fuck."

***

"It's nice out here." Alice said quietly.

They hadn't spoken much since picking up their makeshift shooting range. Lex had kicked up on the couch, lying flat on her back with her eyes closed. Alice knew that she wasn't trying to sleep. Knew that she was just listening to the kids as they played upstairs. Listening to Emma and Paul as they talked quietly in the kitchen, looking for a new apartment.

She knew Lex had heard her, and that was enough. Turning her head back towards the window, Alice peered out at the woods beyond.

"Feels like less eyes to worry about."

"Sure, if you don't count the trees." Lex drawled lazily.

Alice snorted. She slid down the wall she had been leaning against and sat on the floor.

"The trees have eyes now?"

"Feels like they do. Sometimes." Lex shrugged. "You get judged much princess? That worried about what others might think about you?"

She was teasing, but there was a genuine interest behind in her tone. It almost felt like the nickname was meant to feel endearing.

Almost.

"A little bit." Alice admitted.

Lex sniffed, her arm flopping down to hang off the couch, her knuckles trailing the carpet as she opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. Her jacket had been folded and placed on the back of the couch as her baggy black t-shirt hung off her thin frame.

Alice blinked, realizing this was the first time she had really looked at Lex since that last night at the Professor's house. She hadn't realized she somehow looked worse.

"You never did tell me about like, any of the plays you wrote."

"It's just been the one. And you never asked." Alice frowned.

Lex turned her head, staring at her almost completely upside down. It made the dark circles under her eyes even more noticeable.

She lifted her hand up and gestured pointedly to her neck. The bruising had faded from how angry it had once looked and now was a dull brown-ish green. The cut on her forehead had healed into a darkened scab that would certainly scar, just above her eyebrow.

"You had plenty of air to complain with." Alice said dryly as Lex dramatically rolled her eyes. "Not my fault you didn't ask questions."

"Whatever. If you really don't want to tell me-"

"It's boring." Alice quickly tried to deflect. "Just a rough draft I wrote to win a scholarship."

Lex dryly lifted a hand to gesture around them as she realized just how quiet the house was.

"It's about a girl who's moved to a new town." Alice sighed quickly, rolling her eyes as she caught Lex's smirk and ignored it. "Well, she's forced to move. She's all alone when she meets a strange girl in the dead of night-"

"Wait. I thought you said you wrote romantic shit? This sounds like the start of a horror movie."

Alice stopped at the interruption, caught off guard by the excitement in her voice.

"I mean, she's a vampire so I guess it's kind of horror?"

"Cool. Does she bite her?"

"You know if you wanted to read it I could just pull it up for you."

"And you know I don't mind listening to you talk, right?" Lex asked plainly.

Swallowing, Alice became all too aware of own shoulders as they dropped from where they had been held by her ears. She shook her head, realizing how weird it was to hear something so simple be said out loud. Lex hadn't meant to be reassuring, she knew that. Still, Alice was more than used to being the quiet one. Used to hearing her dad talk over her. Used to listening as Deb told her about whatever she was interested in that week, whatever new thing she had discovered.

Lex wasn't even looking at her, her eyes were closed as her head rested on the armrest.

Yet Alice knew she was still listening.

Apparently she had gotten quite a bit about vampires wrong, at least according to the 'classics' Lex kept referring to. Still, her feedback never felt dismissive, even as Alice teased her for being a massive nerd. Eventually she brought up enough compelling points that Alice begrudgingly pulled out her phone to take down some quick notes, stopping their conversation as she glanced at a newly received message.

D - Can we talk?

Alice locked her phone, setting it roughly on the ground next to her. She looked over at Lex who was lazily drumming her fingers on the side of the couch. Her mind, eager to distract, pulled on a small memory from earlier in the day.

"What made you want to pick up guitar?" Alice asked.

"What?"

"Earlier. You said you used to play around with a guitar."

Lex grew still beside her, her hand stopped drumming immediately as she stared blankly at the ceiling. Before Alice could grow concerned that she fumbled her way on to yet another sensitive topic, she caught the faintest glimpse of a small blush that quickly appeared on the other girl's face.

"Oooh, come on." Alice leaned into it. "You have to tell me. I spilled my guts out about my whole break-up earlier."

"I don't have to do shit." Lex answered, her arm lifting and falling across her face so her eyes were hidden.

Alice jumped to her feet, shoving her phone deep into her pocket, the message now almost completely forgotten. She strolled across the room, taking the long way around the couch as she placed her hands on the backrest.

"The more defensive you get, the more embarrassing I'm going to assume it is." Alice smirked, leaning over as she made sure Lex could see her.

"When are you planning on going home?" Lex asked dryly.

"Maybe I'll leave as soon as you tell me."

"You suck at lying."

"I could always ask Hannah. She likes me."

Lex sighed, her arm flopping back off the edge of the couch as she glared at Alice in one last attempt to get her to drop it. In response, Alice merely folded her hands under her chin as she got comfy against the back of the couch.

After a moment, Lex took a breath, looking back up at the ceiling.

"Mr. Houston plays." Lex admitted plainly.

Alice's eyes widened before Lex glared at her in a silent warning.

"One of my mom's useless boyfriends left his guitar at the trailer one night. He came around looking for it while she was still passed out and I told him she sold it for beer money." She explained after a moment. "He absolutely sucked, but I had fun fucking around on it. I figured I could ask Mr. Houston for lessons if I really needed them."

"And?" Alice asked quietly.

"Ended up selling it. Light bill was coming up." Lex shrugged.

"What about now?"

Lex looked at her, her brow furrowed.

"What?"

"I'm sure Tom wouldn't mind teaching you." Alice clarified.

"He's got his own shit to worry about." Lex rolled her eyes, her voice clipped. "And neither of us have one to play anymore anyways."

"Remind me to grab those strings for you when I go." Alice hummed quietly, closing her eyes as she rested her head on her crossed arms.

"Oh no. Leaving so soon?" Lex's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Bite me."

"Can't. Apparently that's 'too scary' for your scholarship to accept."

Alice chuckled at that, covering her mouth with her hand. Lex had a way of sneaking past her irritation, catching her by surprise almost constantly.

"I'll add it to the revisions." She agreed. "Just as soon as I get enough money to get out of here."

She heard shifting beneath her as Lex sat up, rubbing her face. She swung her legs off the couch and reached behind her, pulling her jacket out from underneath Alice's arms.

"And that's my cue to get back to finding someone that will hire me."

Alice watched her stand, moving around the couch on the opposite side of where she was resting. Lex didn't turn as she walked towards the steps. For a moment, it felt like Alice was back in the basement of Hidgen's house. Her mouth went dry.

"Thanks. For uh, talking with me." It was lame. Alice knew it was lame.

Lex stopped. She turned back with one hand on the railing. There was an amused look on her face, like she was debating a smart comment.

"Just call it payment for the shooting lessons." She shrugged, losing that mischievous glint as she turned back around and marched up the stairs.

After a moment, Alice heard the familiar crackling sound of the girl's ancient stereo. This time the music was more intense then the acoustics she had been listening to earlier. The drum and guitar were angry and aggressive, in exactly the type of way Alice had expected Lex to enjoy. Taking a breath, she looked down at her phone, pulling it from her pocket as she swiped away the notification she had received earlier. Moving around to the front of the couch, and taking a seat, Alice pulled up a new note in her phone. Titling the page the same as her scholarship file, Alice started work on the revisions she had always wanted to include.

This time, with a bit more 'lore-accurate' vampirism.

***

Lex was woken up by a gentle tug on her shoulder.

"Lexi."

Immediately the drowsiness was chased from her body as she heard her sister call for her attention. Lex sat up, turning to face where the voice had come from, relieved to see Hannah looking back at her.

Safe.

Taking a deep breath, she rubbed her eyes.

"Everything ok?" Lex croaked, the sleep catching back up to her and clawing it's way back into the emptiness the adrenaline had left behind.

Hannah shook her head, looking carefully at the door as Lex listened closely. The house was deathly quiet save for a few soft hiccups of breath that echoed from downstairs.

Someone was crying.

"It's Alice." Hannah said softly, turning back to her.

"I know Banan." Lex sighed. "She'll be alright, just… going through a rough time." Lex explained gently. When Hannah stared at her, Lex fixed her face into a sympathetic and small smile. "That's what happens when someone you care about lets you down in a real shitty way."

"You should talk to her." Hannah replied quickly, her eyes wide.

Lex's laugh caught in her throat as she stared at her sister. The concern on her face was so visible it almost hurt to look at. She felt her heart melt further, chasing away any irritation that might have been lingering since being woken up.

Hannah had a bigger heart than she could ever hope to have.

"I really don't think that's what she needs right now. Besides, you know me. I'm shit at the whole feelsy talk." Lex gently nudged her, as she scooted back into their shared blanket, her back falling against the bed as her eyes closed. "If you want, we can ask her about it in the morning."

Lex's eyes felt heavy as she felt movement on the bed. She could feel someone staring down at her. Peeling them open once more, she was met with Hannah's face leaning over her own.

"Don't." Lex warned, her voice still groggy. "Don't pull those puppy dog eyes on me. I'm not going to go check on her."

 

...

 

Lex could still see Hannah's face as she dragged a hand down her face, picking her way down the steps. She already knew Alice was crashing on the couch for the night. She had talked with Paul about the details of her staying over dinner. The sounds of her hiccupping sobs slowed as she grew closer. Two reddened eyes peeked over the sofa in the living room, checking on the noise.

"Lex?"

"Hey." Lex greeted her plainly, leaning heavily against the doorway. "You good?"

Alice sat up, quickly rubbing at her eyes with her sleeve, unaware that Lex could still see the remains of her tears trailing down her face.

"I didn't uh, wake you up did I?" Alice asked, looking past Lex to check that nobody else had followed her.

"I was already up anyways." Lex lied.

Alice stared at her in the dark and Lex could feel how anxious she was.

"I- I'm fine. Go back to bed." Alice said quickly, turning back towards the front of the room and away from Lex.

"Damn, you almost had me believing you." Lex sarcastically drawled, peeling herself off the doorway.

Taking a deep breath, she made her way around to the front of the couch. Alice had her knees up to her chest, her arms holding them as she pressed tightly back into the armrest.

"You're still half asleep."

"Yeah. And I'm down here anyways." Lex shrugged, flopping down into the other side of the couch. She felt her head hit the back of the cushion and stared up at the ceiling.

She had to get better at saying no to Hannah.

"I did it to myself." Alice said quietly after a moment. "Checked instagram."

"Even I could've told you that was a dumb idea."

That earned a laugh.

"I just, I wanted to see if either of them would wait to start posting about it."

"Why would they?" Lex asked dryly. "You said everyone already figured it out."

Alice sat in silence for a moment, before turning to face Lex with wide eyes.

"If you knew," She hesitated, her voice cracking. "If you knew what was going on, would you have told me?"

Lex looked down at the couch, picking at a loose seam as she gave the question some genuine thought. It had been a year since she had last seen them, but she remembered both Deb and Ziggy from smoke club. They kept mostly to themselves, but at one point Lex would've considered them her friends.

Ziggy had given her a couple of the pins she kept on her backpack and Deb had made sure to keep Lex sober on the days she knew she had to keep it together for Hannah.

Neither had spoken to her since the day she dropped out.

"If I had, would you have believed me?" Lex asked instead, unable to find an answer in her thoughts.

Alice hummed quietly as she stretched out her legs, letting her feet gently hit the ground as she reached forward to grab the blanket that had fallen. Wrapping it around her shoulders, she sighed.

"I suppose that's what I get for asking hypotheticals." Alice grumbled as Lex figured she had arrived at the same conclusion.

"Did you really not see it coming?" Lex asked bluntly, kicking her feet onto the coffee table as she reached above her to grab the spare throw blanket still tossed over the back of the couch.

"I did." Alice said quietly. "I was always kinda afraid of it. Probably made me a pretty shitty girlfriend now that I think about it."

"I almost broke Ethan's ribs one time because he hugged me." Lex shrugged as Alice let out a startled laugh, before quickly throwing her hands over her mouth.

"How'd you do that?" She asked after a moment, her eyes still showing a mix of shock and just a bit of humor.

"He tried giving me a hug from behind, while we were in a dark as fuck alley waiting for one of my mom's friends to come pick up some pills or something." Lex rolled her eyes as she adjusted the blanket on her lap. "I elbowed him so hard I thought I broke something."

"Ok, so not a hugger. Got it." Alice laughed.

"Not when I think my life's at risk I'm not." Lex shot back quickly. "Point is, I really doubt you were the problem in that relationship."

Both girls sat in a more comfortable silence as Lex closed her eyes. There was no movement coming from upstairs. Hannah had probably already fallen back asleep. Crawling back into bed now would certainly wake her back up.

She held her hand out to her side as Alice stared at it, confused.

"Your phone."

Alice looked up at her in concern. "What?"

"So we can both get some sleep. You won't have it to scroll and I won't have to check on you again." Lex explained gruffly, her hand not budging.

The girl across from her looked down at the device in her hand, the lockscreen illuminating her face in the dark. Her eyes met Lex's.

"You don't have one, do you?"

"Fuck no. You know how expensive that shit is? You've got to pay for the thing itself and then keep paying to actually use it."

"Is it fucked to say I'm kind of jealous?" Alice huffed, placing her phone into Lex's hand.

"Yes." Lex replied plainly as she tucked it into her pocket, crossing her arms over the blanket.

Recognizing the tease, Alice kicked her legs out onto Lex's own as she leaned her back into the armrest, making herself comfortable.

"Can't elbow me from over here." Alice smiled as Lex rolled her eyes. "And I know you aren't getting back up because you'd wake up Hannah if you did. And they're calling back school tomorrow."

"Which means, I'll have the house to myself. " Lex sighed as she adjusted her feet on the table to rest more comfortably with the added weight.

"Who says I won't be here to bother you?"

"Because you just said they were calling back school. I know that means for Hatchetfield High as well."

"You think I'm going to go back, this week? Right after it happened?! No. No way." Alice laughed bitterly.

"I doubt Mr. Houston's going to let you get away with not showing up for school."

"He did with you." Alice took the easy shot as Lex felt her jaw tense.

She bit back the words on her tongue as she pressed herself further into the couch cushion.

"He had no idea I wasn't showing up. You pull that shit now and everything is getting right back to your dad."

"He'll be fine." The answer came stiffly.

"You aren't making it obvious in front of Hannah or Tim then." Lex mumbled, adjusting herself into the couch as she remembered how early she was going to have to get up. "I'm waking you up when I leave to take Hannah and you're coming with us."

"Yes ma'am." Alice mocked sarcastically as Lex jerked her legs suddenly, causing Alice's feet to slide off roughly onto the floor.

Purposefully kicking her legs right back up to where they were, she scoffed, settling back into the armrest. Rolling her eyes, Lex felt sleep eagerly begin to call for her. As she closed them she adjusted the blanket around her shoulders, begrudgingly enjoying the extra warmth Alice's legs gave her.

The house was quiet as Alice gently whispered one last thing.

It was something simple. Something Lex had grown up not expecting anyone to say to her, and not particularly caring if they did.

Something she didn't realize put her at ease.

"Goodnight, Lex."

Chapter Text

Lex adjusted the hood on her head as she walked, making sure to keep it pulled up just enough that most everyone wouldn't notice her.

"You did this on purpose." Alice hissed.

"It was the fastest way back." Lex shrugged, her smirk hidden. "Besides, this is what you want anyways. Technically you did show up-"

"Lex!!" A high-pitched voice called out seconds before she felt a body slam into her side.

"Hi, Grace." Lex sighed, lifting a hand up to pat Grace Chasity's arms as they squeezed tighter.

"I thought you had died! I heard the mall burned down and I knew you were stuck working that day. And so many people kept showing up dead..." Grace rambled off quickly, peeling herself off the older teen as she stood back and smiled. "But my prayers were answered!"

"Can't get rid of me that easily I guess. I'm like a disease or something." Lex shrugged. Her eyes quickly flicked over and checked on Alice, smiling slightly as she saw the panic in the other girl's shoulders. If the school's biggest snitch caught wind of what she was planning on doing...

"Or, like a really catchy hymn!" Grace suggested, the absurdity successfully earning a chuckle.

Lex knew that Grace was a lot, even on the best of days. Her crusades got tiring, her air of holier-than-thou never quite lessened, even if she liked you. Still, Lex couldn't fault her optimism. Couldn't find a reason to have a problem with her. It helped that she had always treated her sister with respect. Something adults or other kids her age never seemed to do.

Hannah was respectful to a point, always careful to wait until after Grace had left to mention that Webby never trusted her.

Something that never sat right with Lex.

"You and your sister didn't get caught up in all that cult nonsense, right?" Grace asked quietly, suspiciously, as her eyes flicked around them.

"Still caught up in it." Lex matched her volume, playing into the secrecy.

Grace's eyes widened as her hands flew to cover her gasp. There was a familiar, burning curiosity behind her intense stare.

"So, what happened in the mall?! Is it true that they were worshipping one of those weird old gods that the Waylon's were said to?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Lex noticed Alice's attention also drawn in, knowing that she hadn't spoken much about what actually happened to anyone. Not even Tom or Becky knew the full truth.

Her hand begin to itch, realizing it was strange that Grace had come so close.

"I guess." She shrugged noncommittedly. "We can talk about it more later. I think right now you need to be keeping an eye out for kids trying to skip class."

Next to her, Alice froze, looking everywhere but at the Sophomore they were currently standing next to. Grace nodded determinedly, her hands clenching tighter to the straps of her bright pink backpack.

"Right, but I still haven't forgotten that you owe me your thoughts on the Honey Festival disappearances too."

Lex rolled her eyes, acknowledging the old conspiracy theory Grace confided in her.

"Can't imagine anyone would just want to leave Grace?" Lex sighed, looking around them carefully. "It's more weird to think something terrible has to happen to them instead of, I don't know, someone finally getting free of this fucking place."

Grace's eyes flashed, debating whether or not to call her out on the choice of language. Instead, she simply shook her head. Like Lex had simply gotten a question wrong.

"This is Hatchetfield though, and people go missing all the time. It IS weird when you think about the fact that every, single, winner vanished right after the festival. Someone, somewhere had to have been concerned when their loved one left without even a word. What if the cops just never followed up on those leads? We both know they're useless." Grace suggested, her eyes rolling as she tilted her head.

Finally spotting the person waiting beside them.

Immediately her tone changed once again to something bright and airy.

"Alice! I didn't know you were friends with Lex."

To her credit, Alice summoned a fairly believable fake smile as she slunk out from behind Lex and held up a hand in a small wave.

"I didn't think you two were friends... either." Alice said stiffly.

"Please, me and Grace go waay back." Lex chuckled, throwing an arm around Grace's shoulder. "She thinks I'm going to hell, and I think she's probably right."

"And I keep trying to tell them that it's never too late to save their soul." Grace added quickly, before turning back to Alice. Her face was fixed in a pitiful expression. "I heard about what happened with-"

"Of course you did." Alice growled, rolling her eyes as her smile immediately dropped.

Lex patted Grace's back, gently removing her arm and stepping back towards Alice.

"I've got this whole situation." Lex said gently, gesturing to the girl besides her. "If you hurry, I bet you can stop Deb from lighting up the joint she had back on the bleachers-"

With a sharp gasp, Grace spun on her heels, taking off towards the football field as Lex sarcastically waved her goodbye. Turning to Alice, she smirked.

"There. Now it's almost guaranteed Deb will have a bad day too. Whether she's back there or not. Sure you don't want to watch that go down?" Lex taunted as Alice huffed.

"No thank you." She shot back, moving quickly past the front of the building as she continued walking.

Lex took a moment, looking over her shoulder once again at Grace as she felt the familiar scratchy feeling of insect legs scurry across her palm. The itching in her hand grew with an almost frantic urgency.

Shaking her head, Lex closed her fist tightly, shoving her hands deep into her pockets. It was always the same, no matter who was dealing with Grace. Suspicion. Annoyance.

Like she wasn't just another fucking lost kid doing her best.

Feeling a sliver of irritation, Lex felt the scratching fade. She filed it away to ask about later, hurrying to catch up to Alice.

Lex had purposefully took them past the school on the way back, only half hopeful that Alice would just give in and attend. If she had, it would've been less of a headache to worry about if Bill or Tom found out. It wasn't as if Lex didn't know that suspicion would naturally fall on her if they were caught. Seeing the pink sweatshirt moving quickly and purposefully away, she sighed.

Together they weaved their way in and out of the many disgruntled students returning to Hatchetfield High as they quickly cleared the school grounds, crossing the road and heading towards the outskirts of Pinebrook.

Lex pulled her hood further down, moving to walk side by side with Alice.

"You dragged that out." She said plainly, acknowledging Lex for the first time since they had run into Grace.

"You got a problem with her?" Lex asked, the same way she did with everyone.

"Besides the fact that she tells me I'm going to burn in hell for being gay every day?" Alice shot back quickly.

"Does she really tell you that every day, or does she just ask you to go to church with her?"

Alice was quiet as she stewed in her own irritation. They continued to walk in the silence of the morning as Lex took a deep breath. For the first time in over a week, it almost felt like a normal day. She didn't think it was possible to actually miss Grace Chasity. For a moment, she wondered if the girl had heard about everyone who had died. If she knew that Ethan-

"What was that back there?" Alice asked pointedly.

Lex frowned.

"You mean the whole cult talk? I don't know, she's just always been fascinated by that stuff-"

"No." Alice cut her off quickly, suddenly stopping as she turned to stare at Lex. "The whole, 'telling them it's not too late' thing."

Lex thought back to the conversation, trying to figure out what Alice was hinting at and why she sounded so upset. Then it occurred to her.

"The pronoun thing?" Lex asked, her brow furrowing as she watched Alice nod.

"Yeah." Alice confirmed shortly, her stare still sharp. "The pronoun thing."

"Don't worry about it." Lex answered simply. "She or they, doesn't matter to me. Grace just sticks with they to be polite. And I don't think she really understands either."

"Ok," Alice drawled, still waiting for Lex to get something in her words, "but you see how me not knowing does matter, right?"

"Why? It's not like I mind being called either or." Lex shrugged, moving to walk past Alice. They were crossing through the heart of Pinebrook now and the neighborhood always made her uncomfortable.

"That's half of your identity!" Alice cried, moving to catch up.

"Sometimes. And sometimes I'm so busy working my life away that I forget I'm a person at all." Lex continued, unbothered. "What's your point?"

"Does Hannah know?" Alice asked quickly, finally causing Lex to pause.

"She does."

In truth, it was Hannah who first brought it up to her. Her sister noticed that on some days it just felt worse than others. She couldn't remember when Hannah first referred to her as her sibling, couldn't remember when she first switched the pronouns, but each time she did it felt right. That wrong feeling went away for the day. It took some work, trying to reframe her perspective, to work on catching just when it bothered her to be referred to as just she/her. The hardest part was accepting it was never permanent. That the feeling came and went.

Hannah never missed it.

Eventually, Ethan didn't either.

Thankfully her answer was enough to sate Alice's curiosity as they continued their march back towards Becky's house. Pinebrook and its massive yards grew further and further behind them as the road shifted to gravel and the sidewalk faded away. The sound of the wind whipping through the trees and branches of the Witchwoods eagerly rushed to fill in the silence. It was a sound Lex was more then used to, growing up on the edge of the forest. Depending on the time of year, it only ever changed slightly due to the leaves changing or falling.

It's why she could tell immediately that something was different.

"I know you said it doesn't matter," Alice called her attention gently, her earlier irritation seemingly gone. "but if it ever does, will you tell me?"

Lex looked over at Alice out of the corner of her eye, past the edge of her hood. She was well aware of just how much the other girl's bright pink sweater stood out next to the grey's and blacks of her own jacket.

"If Hannah switches it up, feel free to follow her lead." Lex suggested before hesitating. The ache in her throat felt familiar. "It's what Ethan did, when he was learning."

"Ethan knew?" Her voice was quiet, nearly taken away in that same unfamiliar breeze.

"Yeah. Ethan knew." Lex confirmed, watching as Alice visibly relaxed. "Besides that, I don't really feel the need to tell people."

"But Grace knows?"

"I thought it would be funny." Lex shrugged.

It was funny, at first. But Lex fell into the same trap she had seen everyone fall into when it came to Grace Chasity. They underestimated just how aggressively helpful she always strived to be.

"Jokes on you. Now she thinks you two are close." Alice scoffed.

"Better than letting her think she's completely alone."

Lex could feel Alice's eyes on her, ignoring them as she kept walking. As they climbed up the hill leading to Becky's house, Lex felt herself watching the forest. Despite growing up close to the woods, there was always something about them, something within them that set Lex on edge.

Today it felt different. It felt worse.

An anticipation she hadn't noticed before chased her every footstep as she studied each trunk. The knots in the bark reminded her of eyes staring back expectantly, like the forest itself was waiting for something.

Waiting for her.

The wind picked up.

Ignoring it, Lex pushed through the front door, barely holding it open for Alice as she immediately went upstairs. Her entire body was buzzing, her mind louder than anything else. It didn't help to close her eyes. In her mind she could see the branches of the trees, waving frantically in the wind. Her arms burned as she could almost feel them scratching at her skin.

In a way, it felt familiar.

Lex collapsed in her desk chair, bending down to plug in the stereo's cord with a shaky hand. Flicking the dial up, the station she usually listened to was thankfully not on commercial break as a soft acoustic guitar slowly chased back the growing static in her brain.

She closed her eyes against her fists, leaning against the desk as her body stepped away from the panic it had entered. The scratching pain of the branches catching her skin faded as she listened to the lyrics being sung. It didn't matter their meaning, though Lex recognized the artist as one of her favorites.

The music turned up, her hand resting on the dial.

Catching her breath, Lex took a moment, staring down at the desk. She shook her head, hoping it would clear enough to think again. The singing cut out, replaced by a simple guitar solo. One Lex remembered trying to practice.

Lex scowled, her mind clearing just enough to recall the way her mother would barge into her room, telling her it sounded like crap. Sighing, she reached below the bed to where she kept Hannah's ukulele, setting it gently onto the desk as she flipped the top open.

Lex blinked, trying to get focus back as the music seemed to fade in her head. Everything faded back to a faint buzzing as Lex felt the branches once again against her skin.

Her eyes were locked on the instrument. Her arms burned and her throat tightened.

Something wasn't right.

It wasn't right.

She could feel as the limbs of the trees that had been haunting her closed in, gripping at her arms, tearing at her skin. The wood splintered and dug in further, like fingers attempting to grab her. To trap her-

At once, Lex flipped the box back closed, roughly pushing her chair back as she stood up, trying to get any amount of distance from what she had just seen. As she did, the legs of the chair caught the cord of the stereo, pulling it unceremoniously onto the floor. The crash cut the buzzing in her head as the music stopped immediately. Lex was only able to stumble back further as she stared down at the wreckage at her feet.

Everything fell away. The memories, the music, the branches, the buzzing.

Lex gripped her arms tightly as she felt her eyes begin to burn.

"No..." It came out as a whisper until something broke within her chest. "No no no, fuck!"

***

Alice tried to find something to occupy her mind with as she collapsed onto the couch she had shared with Lex last night. She flicked on the tv, making sure to keep the volume low as she heard Lex almost immediately turn on her ancient stereo. The music turned up as Alice made a face.

The sound quality was crusty at best, but Alice recognized it as the same dorky acoustic music she had been playing yesterday. She thought back to Lex's small smile when she explained about Hannah and Ethan knowing about her pronouns. Tried thinking back through their interactions to figure out if she had already slipped up without knowing.

Sighing, Alice resigned herself to talking more about it with Hannah. It wasn't like she didn't see Lex's hesitance coming. Thanks to her slip-up on Instagram, it had been a long night, and Lex wasn't ever the greatest at being vulnerable.

Still, she thought the conversation they had been having was going fairly well.

Well enough, at least.

Lex was practically at a run when she got near the house, not even sparing her a second glance as she stormed up to her room. Alice wondered if it was something she said, still stuck on how odd it was that Lex seemed so protective over Grace Chasity of all people-

The music they had both been listening to cut suddenly, a crash echoing from upstairs.

"No no no, fuck!"

Alice started moving immediately. Her feet flew up the stairs as she rounded the corner, heading to where she had heard the noise. Throwing open the door to Lex's room her stomach dropped.

Lex's eyes were wide and watery, locked on the ground in front of her. Alice let her eyes fall, realizing with some horror what must have happened.

Unable to look at the busted stereo for too long, she checked on Lex again, noticing as her fingers dug deeply into the fabric of her jacket. Her knuckles were white from the pressure. Neither spoke. Alice wasn't even sure Lex was breathing.

After a moment, the death grip loosened, her arms dropping to her side limply.

Alice felt like she should run, the flight instinct she had fought her entire life kicking into the highest gear. She didn't know what to say, didn't know what Lex was feeling. She had clearly wanted space earlier, and probably wanted it now more than anything.

She found herself staying anyways.

"Maybe we can fix it." She offered weakly, struggling in the thick silence of the room.

"He's dead." Lex responded plainly. "What's the point?"

A chill ran down her spine as Alice realized just how hollow Lex's voice sounded. She forced herself to look down at the broken stereo, staring past the exposed mechanism at the oily, cracked casing. She spied 2 jagged initials, carved into the back with what was probably a very dull knife.

E.G

Alice's mouth dried as her blood ran cold.

Lex seemed to unfreeze, moving almost robotically as she knelt down facing the wall, picking up the cord and pulling it from the outlet.

"Hey, you know, I think maybe it's just the casing? Like the rest of the parts still look mostly intact." Alice found her voice, wincing at the fact that it still cracked with nerves. "We've got the rest of the day, I bet we can find someone who could fix it-"

"How?"

"How... what?" Alice asked hesitantly, not exactly expecting a response.

Lex didn't answer and Alice realized she still hadn't moved. She was still facing the wall, bent down, limply holding onto the cord as the plug swung back and forth in her grip.

"How do you fix this?"

Her voice was so quiet, Alice wondered if Lex even knew she had spoken at all.

"He's gone." It was a little louder, but still so painfully hollow. "The one fucking person who cared about Hannah, who cared about me." Lex continued, her voice finally wavering.

Alice couldn't see her face. Couldn't see if it was anger or-

"And he's gone." Lex's voice cracked, breaking completely on the last word as she lurched forward. Her arms barely moved to catch her fall as a sob ripped its way from her throat.

Alice lunged forward without thinking. Her arms lifted underneath Lex's as she twisted to support her, finding her surprisingly light. She naturally pulled the other girl into her lap, wrapping her hands around her back. Her body weight supported, Lex buried her face into Alice's shoulder, sobs shaking through her entire body as her hands moved to find her head, her fingers clawing through her hair.

Realizing Lex wasn't pulling away, Alice gently adjusted them. Sitting down with her back against the wall she awkwardly moved them both away from the desk, kicking the chair so it rolled further away. In between Lex's sobs she heard it thump quietly into the bed on the other side of the room. Her own arms were stiff, pressed underneath Lex's as she felt her shake, gripping to her head as if that would somehow keep her grounded in her own violent emotions.

Emotions Alice wouldn't even know how to begin processing.

"I should know to expect it by now. It's always just been me. For years." Lex coughed bitterly. "Then Hannah came along and fuck if the world doesn't want to take her away from me too. And I can't- I can't do it alone."

Alice felt her own eyes begin to burn as she felt her heart ache in her chest. She wanted to say something. She should have said something. Instead, her nails dug into Lex's back, her own body shivering in time to match Lex's sobs.

Lex didn't seem to fight the embrace, but Alice still knew that she was wishing it was someone else holding her. Someone who could tell her it would be ok.

"I'm sorry." Alice croaked.

She shouldn't have said anything.

Almost immediately Lex's anger seemed to melt from her body. Her chest rattled with heavier sobs as her hands untangled themselves from her hair, moving to grab once again at the sleeves of her jacket. Her arms crossed tightly across her body, holding herself as she shook.

Alice wasn't Ethan. She wasn't Hannah, hell, she wasn't even Tom.

"I'm here, Lex." Alice swallowed down the knot that had grown in her throat. Her head fell against Lex's own, her arms adjusting to wrap more fully around her back.

Alice didn't know how long they stayed like that. How long Lex cried. Time didn't really seem all that important. Eventually, her breathing steadied, her shaking slowed.

Alice could feel Lex become more and more aware of just where she was, trying not to think too much about the fact that she was still allowing her to be near. She tried not to think of her own sore muscles as they cramped. Tried not to think of the conversation they might have to have after, trying to offer comforting words she didn't know how she was supposed to find.

If those words even existed.

Pressed into the wall in her back pocket, her phone began to ring. It vibrated noisily against the wood as Lex flinched at the noise. She pulled back almost instantly as Alice quickly dropped her arms, making sure she didn't trap her.

"Sorry." She squeaked, taking the moment to grab at her phone, lessening the buzzing in the room back to a normal volume.

Lex looked at her plainly. She sat up as her legs crossed in front of her, surprisingly staying close. Her hands fell to her lap as she began to twist the rings she had on her fingers.

"You going to answer that?" She asked irritably, avoiding looking at anything but the corner of the room.

Alice blinked, shaking her head as she looked down to see who was calling in the middle of what should have been a school day. She let out a bitter laugh as she recognized the name.

"It's Deb."

It should have been answer enough.

Lex shrugged. "Then put it on speaker."

Alice remembered the message she had received yesterday, grimacing as she realized it was the reason she had even bothered to snoop on Zig's Instagram last night, having already blocked Deb. She swiped at the green phone icon, picking up the call as she swiftly put it on speaker. She held it out in the space between them.

"Alice!" A voice came through immediately, sounding relieved. "Thank god. When you didn't show up for school I got so worried."

Lex dramatically rolled her eyes, wiping underneath them as she did. Alice breathed out a quiet laugh at her reaction and saw a small smile appear on Lex's face in return.

"What do you want?" Alice asked, looking down at the phone as it thankfully fell dark, hiding the smiling picture of her ex that she used as her call background.

The half-grin smirk used to make her feel loved.

Now it just felt mocking.

"I want to make sure you're ok." Deb breathed softly. "I know, I know you're mad at me. And you have every right to be. It's just, you never miss school. And Grace was saying something about you hanging out with Lex Foster this morning-"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Alice interrupted, her voice low.

"Nothing." Deb reassured her quickly, genuinely. Alice felt a bit of relief, even as Lex's hands curled into fists. "Lex is whatever. I'm worried about you. Like stressing out about your dad freaking on you or getting in trouble for truancy. All those things used to freak you out."

Alice laughed.

"Do I sound freaked out?"

The other end of the phone fell silent as Alice realized how much venom had been in her words. She could feel Lex's eyes on her.

"What I sent yesterday. I mean it." Deb said quietly, thankfully moving on. "I want to talk. I don't... I don't want to lose you completely over this."

Why didn't you want to talk before?!

The thought was so sudden it made her head spin, grateful that she hadn't just spat it out. Lex was still staring at her. Expectantly.

Seeing that Alice was frozen, her eyes lazily flicked down to the phone in her hand. She tapped on it, waking the screen and checking the time. To her surprise, they both saw that it was already almost the end of the school day.

Deb's face still grinned in her mind, even when the screen had fallen dark.

"Fine." Alice said quickly, swallowing the rising feeling of anxiety in her chest.

She did want to talk.

Deb inhaled sharply, almost excitedly. The sound caused her heart to still skip a beat. Grimacing, Alice's hand tightened around her phone, the ridges of her case digging into her palm.

"After school. Me, you and Ziggy-"

"Mind if I tag along?" Lex asked out loud.

She wasn't looking for permission from Alice, still staring down at the phone itself. The call went quiet once again as Deb realized she had an audience. In the background, they both heard a familiar voice.

"Miss Mulberry!!" Grace called, her voice sharp.

"Fucking hell. Yeah Lex, if Alice is ok with it, that's fine." Deb agreed quickly, her focus clearly now pulled onto something else. "Whatever makes her the most comfortable. Plus you fucking owe me for the joint Chasity snatched."

"Ha. Caught you on the bleachers this morning?" Lex laughed as Deb growled in something close to a confirmation.

"Alice, if you want Lex to come along, then let's just agree to meet up at like 7. Give her time to get her sister. Same bleachers I got busted on."

"Deb! How many times do I have to tell you, you can't be on your phone during class-" Miss Mulberry's voice chided before she cut out suddenly.

Both girls stared at the ended call as Alice's phone went dark.

"I guess I haven't really heard her that mad since Brad started hitting on me last year."

"Can't blame her there." Lex agreed. "Brad's always been a pushy dick."

"Well, that, and frustration is the normal reaction to Grace." Alice probed purposefully.

Lex caught her eye, recognizing the question there. She shrugged.

"She heard what happened. It's not like she's quiet about how she believes in people getting what's coming to them."

"It's still strange that you two are friends." Alice argued, knowing that Chasity wasn't going to bat for her.

"'Friend' is a strong word." Lex replied lazily, pushing up from the ground as she walked stiffly over to her desk. Her eyes avoided the mess on the floor behind them as her hand hovered over a familiar box.

Alice watched her carefully, slowly getting to her feet. Her legs felt sore and stiff as she realized just how long they had spent on the floor. Lex stared at Hannah's gift, swallowing down some unseen anxiety. After a moment, she flipped the top open quickly, peering inside before finally seeming to let go of some invisible stress. Peering over her shoulder Alice saw the white instrument still completely intact.

Not a scratch on it.

Lex closed the lid, picking up the box carefully as she slid it back under the bed, pushing it further back then she had the day before. The air once again felt as tense as it did when Alice had first raced upstairs. Her mouth dried as she met Lex's eyes.

"You ok?" Lex spoke first, stopping Alice's own question as it died in her throat.

"What?"

"After that." Lex lifted her hand, gesturing to the phone still clutched in Alice's own.

Her grip relaxed as she realized how sore her palm was. She buried it back into her pocket.

"You don't have to come if you don't want to."

"If both of them are there, I don't think you'll have it in you to defend yourself, princess."

"I don't need defending." Alice growled. If that was all Lex was doing this for-

"You don't." Lex agreed plainly. "I'm just telling you not to go alone. If you don't want me going along then grab someone else."

Alice stared at her, realizing that Lex still hadn't looked at the shattered mess on the floor. Still hadn't moved from where she had been standing. Her arms were crossed loosely across her body. At some point, the sleeves of her jacket had rolled up slightly, revealing several fresh scratches running the length of her arms.

She frowned, wondering if the stereo somehow caught her skin as it fell...

Lex caught her staring, her own eyes widening as she roughly pulled her sleeves back down.

So they weren't talking about that either.

"You just want an excuse to avoid looking for jobs tonight."

"Maybe I'm just planning on dragging you out to Best Buy on the way back." Lex seemed to relax into the easier topic. "I hear they're always hiring."

"Why not? We can leave early and see if they'll look at your stereo while we're there."

Despite trying not to make it too pressing, it was still clearly the wrong thing to say. Lex froze, her jaw tightening as her eyes no longer met Alice's. They stared stiffly into the wall behind her head.

"Lex?" Alice asked quietly. She didn't get a response, but they couldn't just not talk about it. "I know I didn't really know him, but if you ever wanted to talk-"

"It's fine."

Her voice wasn't angry. Alice thought it may have been meant to be reassuring. If only her words didn't sound so dead.

"I don't believe you."

"You don't have to." Lex said quickly.

"No one's paying you to act tough, you know." Alice snapped. After everything, it didn't feel fair for her to just shut down again.

Lex flinched at the outburst, covering it up quickly with her own irritation. She buried her hands into her jacket as she finally stepped over the broken pile of parts still laying on the floor, heading purposefully towards the door. She didn't look back as she walked out into the hallway.

Sighing at herself as much as Lex, Alice hurried to catch up.

"Where are you going?"

"It's almost 3. I'm going to pick up Hannah and Tim." Lex answered stiffly.

There wasn't an invitation in her voice.

Alice watched her leave, moving down the staircase and towards the front door. Throwing it open, she finally stopped, flinching at the cold air that blew in. Turning around, she looked at Alice.

"You can tell Mr. Houston where we're going tonight." Her tone was normal. Irritated, but normal. "Or just tell him we're going out. See if he'll let us borrow the car so we aren't stuck walking back in this fucking cold."

"I think you'd have better luck convincing him then me." Alice sniffed in response, thinking about how terribly awkward every interaction with Tom Houston had gone so far.

Any conversation she had with him was short and stiff. Like she was constantly seconds away from saying something wrong. It suddenly made sense just why him and Lex seemed to get along so well.

Lex tilted her head, looking at her curiously.

Alice couldn't help but notice her eyes were still just slightly red.

After a moment Lex held her hand up in a small, lazy wave. Throwing open the door the rest of the way, she slipped outside not turning as she called out over her shoulder.

"Whatever you say, princess."

***

The woods looked different then they had earlier that day, the eyes she had seen earlier were gone. Still, Lex couldn't help but feel something was off as she stared at the trees through the passenger window. This time of year meant that the sun always set far too early. The shadows that grew at the edge of the tree line felt like they were only barely restrained to the forest itself, itching to break free of their confinement.

Lex's hands rubbed absentmindedly over her arms as she forced herself to focus on the road instead.

Alice drove them towards the center of town in tense silence. Tom had originally offered to take them both when she had asked to borrow the car, purposefully being vague about what they needed it for. Thankfully, Emma had stepped forward and tossed Lex her keys, immediately understanding as soon as she saw both girl's faces go pale.

After that, it was simple. Or at least according to Alice it was. She had her license and Lex didn't. Something Tom agreed they'd have to get fixed eventually. It was Lex's idea to leave a little earlier then they needed to, knowing that the reason Alice was so quiet had nothing to do with what had happened earlier.

At some point after she had left to go pick up the kids, she must've have cleaned up the mess of Ethan's busted stereo. Lex hadn't asked where she took it and Alice had been too caught up in her own head to bring it up again.

Hannah noticed it's absence right away, noticed how quiet both her and Alice had been during dinner. Lex knew she'd have to explain eventually, finding herself grateful that at least for tonight, she had an excuse to avoid it.

Not like her sister wasn't used to her wrecking things by now.

Lex's fingers dug along her sleeves, feeling the fabric of her jacket pulling at the freshly formed scabs underneath. Her eyes watched carefully for the same familiar turn that would take them past the highschool.

In her head she kept seeing the same image. The one that had caused it all in the first place. The one she confirmed had just been a trick of the light. Maybe it was a side effect of whatever powers she had refused to think about since Black Friday and the days after.

Maybe she was just jumpy from whatever screwed up her arms.

It didn't take away the visual she was left with. The awful, overwhelming feeling that something had been wrong.

Lex knew Hannah's ukelele was white. It was white. However, for a moment, she could've sworn that it had turned black.

Caught up in her own thoughts, Lex missed the turn, her body caught off balance as she shifted in her seat, pressing painfully against the door. Alice was completely silent beside her. Sighing, she stopped picking at her arms, letting them rest at her side.

Maybe it was better if they both got out of their heads.

"We could always just, not show up." Lex suggested dryly, feeling a small bit of relief as Alice let out a loose laugh.

"And get another call saying that she's 'worried' about me?"

"Another benefit of not having a phone I guess."

"I guess." Alice agreed quietly. Stiffly.

Lex let it drop.

They were early. Alice climbed onto the frigid bleachers as she tucked her arms further into her sweater and looked out onto the football field. Lex leaned against one of the higher benches, her eyes watching towards the parking lot. She looked up at the sky, grateful there was no smoke choking the light from the stars.

"She's always late."

Lex tore her eyes away from the sky. Alice's body shook on the bleachers as the breeze kicked up. It was warmer than usual for a Hatchetfield winter night, but that didn't mean the wind wouldn't bite. Taking off the beanie she had grabbed before they left, Lex tossed it up to her as she climbed up onto the bleachers themselves. Alice pulled it onto her head without protest as Lex moved to the far side of her, blocking the wind.

"Aren't you cold?"

"The nice thing about dressing sensibly is that my clothing blocks out the wind." Lex shrugged.

"What part of my outfit isn't sensible?" Alice asked, her eyebrow raising.

"This." Lex started dryly, reaching over and pinching her sweater. She pulled back and watched as the thin fabric weakly snapped back to her shoulder. "Is nothing. No wonder you're out here shivering."

"Excuse me for not packing an extra sweatshirt while I was desperately trying to get away from my dad." Alice rolled her eyes.

"Yeah well, don't expect me to go loaning out my jacket. Last thing I need is a fucking cold."

"Oh but you already gave me your beanie." Alice teased with a grin, adjusting the hat on her head. "Once I get the jacket and a cigarette I think I could pull off a pretty convincing Lex."

"Not exactly something you'd want to be." Lex said stiffly.

She couldn't help but notice how quiet the night was. It wasn't even that late.

"Well, I think she's alright." Alice shrugged, not quite meeting her eyes.

"I'm trying this new thing where I'm nicer." Lex sarcastically drawled, "Give me a few days, I'll get sick of it."

"Or you could just admit you like-"

"Hey!" A voice yelled from behind them, stopping Alice's protest short. "What are you guys doing out here?! It's freezing."

They turned to see Ziggy leaning against the railing that separated the field from the concession stand. They waved their arm as Lex noticed the lights flick on inside of the small building.

"Come on, Deb jacked the lock. It's not heated but sure beats being out here."

They moved inside quickly, the door shutting closed behind them as Lex turned to Alice, the teasing glint gone from her eyes as her jaw tightened. Standing up, she held a hand out.

"We could always just, not show up." Lex offered again as Alice relaxed, breathing out a small laugh, her breath just slightly visible in the cold air.

"Would you let me live it down if I dragged you out here and we didn't go talk to them?" Alice asked, taking Lex's hand.

"Nope." Lex replied simply, pulling her to her feet as she moved to jump down from where they had been standing.

Alice walked down the bleachers stiffly, making her way over to Lex as she waited.

"Then, let's get this over with."

Shortly after, Lex found herself leaning against the cold brick wall of the concession stand, standing next to Ziggy who had jumped up onto the counter, sitting against the metal screen that normally opened up to the rest of the field. They pulled a cigarette from their pocket as Lex reflexively held a hand out.

"You didn't skip today just to avoid me, right?"

Ziggy wordlessly handed Lex one out of their pack, sliding it back into their pocket as Lex passed them her lighter.

"What do you think?" Alice asked back.

Deb grimaced as she slid down onto the floor leaning back against the ancient fridge that the school kept tucked away. They had already searched it for anything good, only finding a single Sprite that Deb had handed to Alice.

That same can sat untouched on the counter next to where she was sitting, on top of a dusty tub full of shitty, off-brand chips. The kind Hatchetfield only pulled out in emergencies.

Or when they were hosting Clivesdale.

The building was quiet as they all heard Zig click the lighter, a small flash of light illuminating their face for just a moment before the dim lights took back over and shadowed their features. They handed it back to Lex.

Deb looked up at Alice as her eyes landed on the beanie on her head. She hesitantly adjusted her own as she glanced at Lex.

"You didn't miss much. I don't think any of the teachers even wanted to be back yet."

"Do they ever want to be there?" Lex asked dryly.

A cloud of smoke blew through the air as Lex felt the second-hand nicotine burn the back of her throat. It was familiar and comforting, even as the cold bricks pressed stiffly against her back. Alice coughed as the stale cloud drifted towards her.

With a sigh, Lex tucked the lighter back into her pocket, not missing the way Ziggy stared at her curiously. She was still gingerly holding the unlit cigarette between her fingers.

"Are we really just going to talk about school this entire time?"

"We could. If you want." Ziggy said gently, being careful to flick their ash away from Lex and onto the floor.

Deb looked up at them softly, thankful for the support. Lex's jaw clenched. Alice had told her that these two had known each other for years. If this was how they had always acted...

Her mind went back to the question Alice had for her the previous night, her answer suddenly a little easier to find. Lex slid the cigarette she had bummed into her breast pocket as she purposefully moved to sit up against the tub Alice was sitting on top of. Now facing the door, her eyes closed as she leaned her head back. It fell gently against Alice's thigh.

Neither of them moved.

"No. I want to talk about this." Alice finally spoke up, causing Lex to smirk. "We were together for almost 2 years. You had 2 years to tell me about any of this. And you waited until you thought I was dead? Am I really that hard to talk to?"

"It's not like that, Alice. I swear." Deb said quickly, her voice sounded genuinely pained.

"Feels like it is."

As much as Lex was rooting for it, Alice didn't sound angry. Her eyes opened as she watched the reactions of the other two. Ziggy was the first to move, standing up as they passed the half-done cigarette to Lex to hold, careful to keep it low.

They squatted in front of Alice, looking up at her with a small, gentle smile.

"Hey. I get it. We fucked up and you got hurt. Bad. But Deb's right, that was the very very last thing we wanted to happen. We both thought we were going to die, and shit ended up getting said that I don't think would've if the whole world didn't go nuts." They said gently. "That's all it was."

"We both knew it wouldn't be fair to act like nothing happened. Not after that. And I didn't want to hurt you more by lying." Deb added.

Underneath her head, Lex felt Alice tense.

"So we're just blaming your shit timing then?" Lex asked lazily, lifting Zig's cigarette to her mouth as she inhaled.

The nicotine hit her head almost instantly, both kickstarting a headache and chasing away the fog in her mind at the same time. She coughed, her throat clenching in a lingering pain as her lungs rejected the inhalation almost immediately.

Ziggy stood up as Alice asked another question Lex couldn't hear. They took the cigarette back, staring at Lex in concern as she painfully cleared her throat, her body working to violently clear out everything she had just inhaled. The short-lived, comforting high wore off quickly as she was left with a familiar sore throat and dull headache.

"Do you guys maybe want the chance to talk... alone?" Ziggy offered after a moment, looking over at Alice and Deb as they kept the burning cigarette off to their side.

Lex blinked, realizing the air in the room had grown stiff, the tension almost physically hanging between them. She brought up a hand to her throat, rubbing it gingerly as she looked up, surprised to find Alice staring back down at her in concern.

"Maybe that would be for the best." Deb said stiffly.

Lex could feel her eyes on them, heard Ziggy shift uncomfortably by the door. Chuckling, she raised an eyebrow as Alice looked back over her shoulder to check on Deb. After a moment, she nodded, answering Lex's unspoken question.

Tapping her head back on Alice's thigh, Lex stood up and joined Ziggy at the door. They held it open, lifting a hand up to wave Lex through first. With a smirk, she turned back to Deb, looking between her and Alice.

"Damn Zig." Lex drawled, making sure to catch everyone's attention. "Surprised you trust Deb alone with anyone after what you two pulled."

Immediately Deb bristled, her eyes narrowing as Ziggy roughly grabbed her shoulder, pulling her outside and through the door. Before it had fully shut, Lex heard what she had been after, smiling as she heard the soft sounds of Alice's laughter.

Once the two were left alone on the outside of the building in the night air, Ziggy sighed.

"Alright, can't say we don't deserve it, but you just can't keep your mouth shut, can you?"

"You know me. Poor and mean." Lex answered plainly, a small smile still tugging at the corner of her mouth.

Inside she heard the quiet sounds of conversation starting up again, recognizing Alice's voice as she took the lead.

Ziggy simply shook their head, jumping up on the other side of the counter. Lex coughed as the cold air hit her already irritated lungs, watching with a bit of jealously as they lifted their cigarette up to their mouth.

"Heard what happened to Ethan." They said quietly with the exhale. "Heard they almost got you too."

Lex didn't respond, her movements stiff as she joined them on top of the counter, pulling her legs up onto the cold metal as she sat cross-legged. Holding her ankles, she stared back up at the sky.

She had always liked the winter stars the most. The cold night air kept the sky clear and the stars above looked like they burned against the endless black of the night.

"Almost." Lex answered eventually, carefully taking a deep breath as she felt her lungs start to return to normal. "Lost my job and my boyfriend and the trailer. But I guess I'm still here."

"Hannah too?"

Lex nodded, her heart thudding dully in her chest.

"Hannah too."

Another puff. The smoke rose quickly into the night air, the nicotine barely burned anymore. Lex missed the pain.

"So. Alice Woodward huh?" Ziggy asked, not looking at her as they lifted their knee to their chest, flicking the butt of their cigarette down to the ground. "Didn't think you two would end up friends."

"Whole world went nuts. Things happen." Lex answered, feeling a small success in the way they flinched.

Unable to find any more words, they fell quiet, and Lex didn't feel like filling in the silence. They both shifted back further into the small alcove to avoid the wind as Ziggy eventually kicked out their legs to rest over Lex's lap. For a moment it felt familiar. Like the whole world hadn't been turned upside.

The door to the concessions opened, spilling light out into the night. Deb was the first out the door as Alice reached back inside and flicked off the light. Hopping down almost immediately, Ziggy wrapped their arm around Deb's back, quietly checking in with her as Lex looked down at Alice.

Her eyes seemed a little brighter. Her shoulders more loose then Lex could ever remember seeing them.

She faintly found herself wondering why it put her at ease.

Alice held up a small hand to wave goodbye as Deb and Ziggy left towards the parking lot. The two watched them go quietly. After a minute, Lex took a deep breath, sliding down off the counter as she turned to Alice.

"I take it the talk helped?"

Alice looked at her, her eyes were still careful but not nearly as guarded as they had been in the past. Eventually she sighed, looking down towards the ground.

"I feel like shit." She answered plainly, before she swallowed, her voice going quiet. "But... I didn't do anything wrong."

Lex breathed out her nose in a short laugh. Reaching forward, she gently pulled her beanie down over Alice's eyes.

"Fuck. I could've told you that. Saved us this whole trip."

Shoving the hat back up onto her head, Alice glared at her.

"And I could've told you taking a hit off Zig's cigarette would end badly. But would you have listened?"

"Don't fucking remind me." Lex groaned, rolling her eyes as she started to walk away, leaving Alice to catch up. "It's been over a week. You'd think I'd be able to smoke again."

"Huh, it's almost like almost dying might do that to a person." Alice said sarcastically, moving quickly to walk alongside her.

"Almost." Lex smirked, enjoying the way Alice bristled in annoyance.

"You're impossible."

"And you're taking me home. I'm freezing."

"Thought we were going to Best Buy?" Alice asked, holding out Emma's keys as she clicked the lock, letting them both climb in.

Deb and Ziggy had already disappeared, the parking lot just as empty as it had been when they arrived. Lex thought again to her small conversation with Ziggy.

"I'll swing by some other time."

Her body still itched to do something, her mind eager to remind her how screwed they'd be if anything happened. She didn't have anything lined up. If Tom or Becky changed their mind-

"I just want to spend some time with Hannah." Lex said quietly, the thoughts quieting almost immediately with the admission.

She felt Alice's eyes on her.

"Then let's get you home." She smiled gently, peeling the beanie off her head as the car's heat kicked on full blast. Tossing it over to Lex she swiftly pulled out of the parking lot. "Yellow's not really your color."

Holding the hat in her hand, Lex's thumb softly moved over the fabric.

"Yeah. I know." Lex smiled, gently pulling it back over her ears.

Over the years, Lex had never had a lot of extra money to spend on clothes for herself. Anything she did get, she wanted to make sure Hannah would be able to use too.

Just in case.

Alice looked over at her in curiosity as Lex turned to look up at the stars, watching them burn overhead.

"It's Hannah's favorite color."

Chapter Text

Lex found herself outside, flicking the cigarette she had bummed off of Ziggy in her fingers as her other hand went to the lighter in her pocket. She hoped it had been long enough for her lungs to act right as her jaw ached. Maybe she didn't care if they did or not.

Placing it in her mouth, she cupped her hands to block the wind as she clicked her lighter.

There was no flame.

Frowning, Lex held it up to ear as she shook it. It didn't sound empty. Her thumb rolled the flint several times as she attempted to get it to light with no luck. Behind her, Lex heard the back door slide open.

She kept messing with her lighter, already knowing who it might be. Instead of Becky coming out to chastise her for smoking, or Tom to make sure she wasn't thinking about running, after one last failed attempt to light her cigarette, Lex turned to stare down at her sister.

"It's cold out here." She warned as Hannah rolled her eyes.

She closed the door behind her as she walked out to join Lex on the edge of the patio. Sighing, she wrapped an arm around her sister, thankful that at least Hannah had her jacket on.

"What are you doing?" Hannah asked plainly.

"Trying to get my shitty lighter to do its job."

Hannah grimaced, looking carefully at the lighter in Lex's hand. After a moment, she met her eyes.

"Something's wrong."

While Lex hadn't felt cold before, she still felt a shiver run down her spine.

"With my lighter?" She asked, knowing before Hannah even spoke that the answer was wrong.

"I can't find Webby. She's been... gone." Hannah answered. "Since the day Ethan's stereo broke."

Lex's heart thudded in her chest.

Neither of them had spoken about it. Or about Ethan at all. Every time Lex thought she might bring it up or ask Hannah how she was doing, something new came up. First it had been helping Emma and Paul move into their new apartment. Then Bill had stopped by to beg Alice to come home. Tom had tried talking to them both one night but Lex had waved him off, lying about needing to take a test for an application and job she still hadn't found.

Though the night had been quiet, they both heard something crack and snap further down the hill. Even without looking, Lex knew it had come from the Witchwoods. She stepped forward, letting her arm drop as she felt Hannah move behind her. The scratches on her arms had healed, but she still remembered the distinct feeling of branches dragging across her skin.

Sticking her hand into her pocket, Lex forced herself to relax, reaching past the fabric to grab ahold of the all too familiar feeling of cold metal.

The gun settled fully in her pocket as she gently moved out from under the deck. Her eyes stayed towards the forest, looking within it for any sort of movement.

Hannah hadn't come out to visit her tonight because she knew they needed to talk. Both of them were avoiding it. Lex thought back to the last time she had felt Webby try to get her attention. Back when she had spoken to Grace. She remembered how frantic it was.

How almost immediately after the woods themselves had felt wrong.

They heard another snap as Lex continued forward. She hoped it was just some stupid deer, needing to see for herself. To prove that her nerves were just getting the best of her.

A smooth whistle cracked through the air, splintering the silence of the night. Immediately Lex's blood turned to ice. Her eyes flicked back towards the house for just a moment, realizing just how far they had come. She pulled Hannah behind her and faced back towards the trees.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Naughty List herself." A familiar voice called out as Lex swallowed.

There was no one in front of them.

"Was wondering when you would finally come out and play." It drawled, a hint of irritation behind it's otherwise smooth delivery. "But I suppose a gift like yours is worth the wait."

Her heart found it's way to her throat as Hannah pulled at her sleeve.

"Cross." Her sister whispered, her voice choked with fear.

Lex's arm wrapped tightly around her sister, pulling Hannah into her body as her free hand went to her jacket pocket. The freezing metal of Macnamara's gun burned in her palm as the hair on her arms raised. The wind began to whisper in a chant as it picked up in a howl.

One moment the darkened edges of the forest hid any trace of a presence, the next Lex's eyes grew accustomed to the rough, shadowy outline of a tall and lanky man. The tiny bit of moonlight caught the green glint of his eyes as they appeared to glow from within the trees.

It was almost as if he had been standing there the whole time.

"What do you want, you fucking creep?" Lex growled, her finger curling around the trigger of the gun.

Hannah's breath caught in her throat as the wind died instantly. The man in front of them took a step from the trees.

"Well, what are you doing just standing there, Lex?" A familiar voice called, his arms held up in a wide invitation. "Hannah?"

As he took another step forward, Lex felt her stomach flip. Hannah clutched tighter to her sleeve.

"Are my two favorite girls really hanging me out to dry?" Ethan asked, his head tilting.

Everything about him was real. Familiar. Lex could still feel the weight of his leather jacket she always stole on her shoulders. She felt her eyes begin to burn.

"It was you… back in the mall." Hannah said quietly, looking towards Ethan with wide eyes.

Lex bit the inside of her cheek hard enough to taste blood as she slowly began to pull the gun from her pocket. Ethan froze, his eyes following Lex's hand as it pulled out the weapon and pointed it directly at his chest.

For a moment, Lex could hear nothing but the sound of her own heart beating in her chest. It echoed in her ears, the blood racing to her head as it throbbed in pain. Then she heard him laugh. It wasn't the warm rumble she would always fall asleep to. It was a cold and hollow, devoid of any real mirth as its pitch shifted inhumanely.

"You little bitch." Ethan drawled, a smile splitting the corners of his mouth, the grin barely fitting on his face.

"Leave us alone or I swear-"

"Can't do that Alexandra." The Ethan clone corrected her quickly, his visage flickering as he took another long step forward.

Lex's hand gripped tighter around her sister as she kept the gun pointed straight ahead. She became conscious of her shoulders as she forced them down away from her ears.

"You see, you ain't nearly as useless as you like to pretend." The man drawled in the same accent he had used before. "And your sister there…. now she's in a league all her own."

A loud bang cracked the silence of the night, the shot echoing down the hill and through the trees beyond. Before she could blink, Lex watched as the man vanished, the bullet sailing harmlessly through the space where he had been standing. Hannah winced at the loud noise, burying her face into Lex's jacket.

Lex felt like she was moving in slow motion as the gun shot echoed around them. All at once she became aware of the alarm raised from inside the house. Immediately bright beams of light cast long black and white shadows down the hill.

In those very shadows moved a figure that sent chills down Lex's spine as it dashed forward, finally moving away from the woods. Her adrenaline still pumping from the shot she had taken earlier, Lex grabbed the back of Hannah's shirt, turning her sister forcibly back towards the house.

"Hannah, go!" She cried, roughly pushing the girl away from her just as a weight pulled at the barrel of the gun.

For a moment, the clearing disappeared in a bright flash of white. In the endless space of glowing light, Lex was finally aware of the true form of the man that had been taunting them, his gnarled and calloused hand gripping tightly to her gun. He was dressed the same as he had been on Friday, a loose jean jacket and a black denim button-up on top of black jeans. His green eyes flashed in anger as Lex's hand disconnected from Hannah, her sister seemingly disappearing from the space entirely.

Immediately Lex pulled her hand back to help stabilize the gun as the man twisted his arm, attempting to pry it from her grip. The blinding white space from earlier was gone as they wrestled for control. The flashlight beams behind them flickered frantically as they grew closer and closer.

"LEX!" Tom's voice echoed off the trees.

"Tim, stay in the house!" Becky called, sounding even further away than Tom.

The man smiled patiently as his strength and size began to easily win out.

"Rookie mistake, little girl. Playing with powers you ain't used to." He smirked.

Lex's hands moved to adjust her grip, finding it suddenly slack as she felt overwhelmingly weak. Her stomach twisted as her knees refused to hold. Her finger tightened on the trigger as the ground rushed up to meet her. A second shot was fired, ripping through the man's greasy hair as the bullet flew harmlessly past his face.

Above her, Cross laughed coldly as he successfully plucked the gun from Lex's grasp, the teen falling roughly to the ground with a dull thud. Lex ignored the pain from the impact, her eyes flicking back towards the house. She prayed that Hannah had enough time to make it back inside.

"Don't know why you insist on wasting even more of my time." The man growled, his boot pressing painfully into Lex's cheek as he turned her head back towards the woods. Kneeling down, he leaned his weight forward as he brushed the hair out of her face with the barrel of the gun. "You see, no mortal weapon can kill me. I've been blessed. By the very same powers you so stubbornly insist on pissing off."

With a rough kick, his boot left her face and fell to the opposite side of her body. Cross shifted to press the gun deep into Lex's chest. He slowly leaned his weight on it, painfully pinning her against the ground as his face moved to be mere inches from her own.

"I ain't worried about your bitch of a sister. Barely has a clue about her potential that one." He hissed as Lex recoiled from his acidic breath. "You, however, have more than earned your place on my naughty list."

Ignoring the disgust filling her body at his words, Lex summoned up the last of her strength as she kicked her knee up sharply, driving it deep into his exposed chest. A resounding crack rang out in the night air as she felt his ribs snap with the impact.

The man didn't flinch, thin streams of blood dripping from his mouth as he flashed her a wide grin.

"Come on, drop-out. I know you're fucking stupid, but I expected at least some ounce of self-preservation." Cross spat, the blood spraying from his mouth as he shoved the gun deeper into Lex's collarbone, his finger tightening around the trigger...

***

Across town, Hannah Foster's arms flew out in front of her, trying to catch her fall as she tumbled onto the carpeted floor of a strange room. She flipped around, turning to face a closed door as her heart raced in her chest.

Lex was nowhere nearby.

"What the-" A voice asked from above her as a lamp clicked on and fully revealed their surroundings. "Hannah?!"

Alice Woodsworth stared in disbelief at the young girl who had materialized in her room. Hannah closed her eyes tightly, clenching her fists against her head as she tried to ignore the noise that was everywhere around her. In her mind there were rapid flashes of images, visions that she knew Webby normally warded away.

In them she saw a red-headed woman in a familiar jean-jacket, tapping on the tattered screen door of their old trailer. She saw the bright flashing lights of an arcade machine, as the pattern circled around and around. Heard the cheers from a bloodthirsty audience as they screamed. She saw the same scene she had just left, with the man that had hunted them kneeling over her sister, the general's gun flipped and aimed into Lex's body-

Before Hannah got lost, unable to find the surface of her mind, she felt a gentle hand wrap around her back. It kept her from being swept away.

"Hannah." Alice called her gently, a hint of panic rising in her voice. "Hannah, you have to breathe. Ok?"

Hannah forced her eyes open, her body shaking as she came back to the present. Part of her felt like it was still being pulled in the flooding of possibilities.

"Can you tell me what's going on? Where's Lex?" Alice asked quickly, kneeling beside her as her hands gently grabbed Hannah's own, pulling them away from her head.

Hannah focused on the tight grip as she closed her eyes and shook her head.

"Lexi sent me away. She's in trouble. A bad, bad man. He said she was on his naughty list..." Hannah croaked, her eyes opening as she watched Alice's face. "Webby's gone, and he knows. They know. He was waiting in the woods."

Alice's eyes widened as the panic in them changed to horror. Almost with some relief, Hannah realized she believed her.

"He's got her gun." Hannah whispered, not knowing how she knew it was true.

Alice moved quickly, helping Hannah stand as she jumped to unplug her phone and slid it into the pocket of her pajama pants.

"The woods by Becky's place? Do you think you could get us there?" Alice asked seriously, quickly kicking on some shoes as she opened the door to her room and pulled them down a hallway.

"Us?" Hannah asked, letting herself be guided to another room, as she recognized the loud snoring coming from within it.

Alice didn't answer as she threw open the door to her father's room.

"Dad! Lex is in trouble, Hannah's here but we've got to go, now. Hannah said he had a gun-"

"Alice, it's the middle of the night. Go back to bed." Bill called out sleepily from his pile of pillows.

"DAD." Alice yelled as Bill flipped over, still almost entirely asleep. He waved his arm lazily.

"Hannah's a good kid, she can stay the night. Probably good for her to get away from that punk sister of hers." He mumbled as Alice bristled.

"That's-" Alice growled, her sentence cut off from the exasperated noise that came from her throat. Reaching forward she snatched a set of keys from the bedside table and turned to Hannah seriously. "If I drive, do you think you can get me there?"

Hannah nodded, dutifully following as Alice raced out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her as they made their way out of the house.

The night air was uncomfortably still as Alice rushed towards the mini-van parked on the side of the road. She threw open the driver's side door as Hannah quickly crawled into the passenger side. Shoving the key hastily into the ignition, Alice turned to the younger girl.

"Seatbelt on, or your sister will kill me." Alice said stiffly as Hannah reached behind her and buckled up.

"We've got to go west. Towards the Witchwoods." Hannah said quietly, pointing through the back window at the road she knew they needed to take.

Her eyes closed tightly as Alice threw the car in reverse, screeching out of the driveway. Hannah's mind quickly provided her glimpses of the way they needed to go, multiple road signs and turns appearing in her mind as if she was the one behind the wheel. She felt Alice gun it and was thrown roughly back in her seat from the acceleration.

"It's going to be ok, alright? I need you to stay with me though. I don't know where I'm going." Alice reassured her, her hand finding Hannah's across the console. "I've always just gone through the city."

Hannah squeezed it back, opening her eyes as she tried to focus. Webby always said there was only ever one thread to follow at a time. As Alice followed the road Hannah had pointed her on, she kept her eyes peeled for the next sign, knowing there would be no marker. After a short moment, the van's headlights illuminated a familiar tree besides a small turn-off.

"There! Turn right!" Hannah called as Alice reacted instantly, dropping her hand as she yanked the wheel.

Alice yelped as the van roughly drove through the grass and dirt before finding purchase on the thin gravel road that hadn't been visible before.

"Ok, a warning sooner would be nice!" Alice breathed heavily.

"It's not coming any sooner to me either!" Hannah shot back.

"Right. Ok..." Alice mumbled, her knuckles going white as she gripped the wheel tighter. They raced down the new road for a few moments before the older girl found her voice again.

"Hannah, how did you get to my house?"

"Lexi wanted me to get somewhere safe." Hannah shrugged nervously.

Alice didn't answer right away, and Hannah knew she was afraid. Knew that she was figuring it out. Webby had warned her a long time ago that things could get dangerous if someone figured it out.

"Well..." Alice swallowed, her hands adjusting on the wheel. "I hope Lex knows I'm both flattered and terrified."

"Are you mad?" Hannah asked quickly.

She couldn't explain it, but along with her visions, Hannah had a feeling that something similar to this had happened before. That someone else had once found out. Someone bad.

Lexi would be sad if they had to leave again.

"No, I'm not mad Hannah." Alice said gently. She took a shaky breath. "I won't lie, I'm pretty scared, and uh, really confused, but that's not your fault."

The outskirts of Hatchetfield raced past them as in the distance they began to see the sea of green that was the witchwoods.

"I just don't want to let you or your sister down." Alice admitted quietly, almost as if she meant to say it only to herself.

"It's straight ahead from here." Hannah pointed out as two headlights came to life on a distant hill.

Alice's eyes flicked over to Hannah with concern as they both watched the lights shudder and turn, the car they belonged to tearing away from a house that had only just become visible against the murky night sky.

"That man you mentioned earlier, did.... did he pull up in a car?" Alice asked hesitantly.

Hannah shook her head as she noticed the van began to pick up speed, Alice growing deathly silent beside her. She didn't need to think of all the possibilities that could be happening, they were already there. Waiting at the edge of her mind.

In her head Hannah could hear the ringing echo of a gunshot.

***

"What sort of piece of shit-"

The gun clicked uselessly again as Lex's breath caught in her throat. Taking advantage of her attackers confusion, she ignored the splintering pain in her collarbone as she pushed up against Cross's chest, knocking him back just enough to quickly crawl to her feet.

As she did, Lex saw Cross's green eyes carefully inspect the weapon before they flashed in anger. They seethed in a hatred that sent a chill down her spine.

"Macnamara." Cross spat, turning to Lex with a realization.

Tossing the gun to the side, he lunged forward, his fist clawing into Lex's shirt as he pulled her close. His breath was hot against her face as her dull nails clawed uselessly into his arm.

"Well then, you're just full of surprises, aren't you?" He growled smoothy, blood flying from his teeth as he leaned back, dodging Lex's swing. "Wiggly ain't going to be done with you anytime soon. So don't go missing me too much, Lexi."

He threw her back, the force sending her toppling to the ground as she struggled to recover, completely dazed. Her lungs felt tight as her vision swam. Suddenly there were arms supporting her shoulders as she heard a familiar voice attempt to comfort her.

"Breathe Lex, it's alright." Becky said gently as Lex tried to focus on her face.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed.

"Where's my sister?"

Becky seemed to pale as she looked beyond Lex. Following her line of sight, she watched as Tom reached down to pick up the gun the man had dropped.

"Where's Hannah?" Lex croaked, pushing up and out of Becky's arms as she turned around. Becky and Tom both stared at her with wide eyes.

"We didn't see her, you were alone by the time we saw what was happening. Well, except for that man-"

"No, no that's not-" Lex stumbled forward, her eyes searching around them.

"Whoa, hey. If she was out here with you then she couldn't have gone far. We'll find her Lex." Tom reassured her, his voice clipped with concern as he stepped forward and tossed steady her.

Her eyes fell to the weapon clutched in his hand, the gun that had pinned her down.

Lex's body felt hollow as the adrenaline from the attack left her. She remembered the white space she had been in, the way Hannah had disappeared as she pushed her. A feeling beyond her explanation told her that Cross had fully left. It was an empty comfort, knowing they could search all night and not find him. Knowing that for now, he was gone.

A deeper cold ran through her body as she started to shake. If she could tell that he was gone, really gone, then that meant the fear in her chest was also true.

The fear that she had sent her sister away in a way she couldn't explain. In a way she didn't understand.

Lex looked down at her hands as she felt Becky start gently guiding her back to the house. The older woman was talking quietly to Tom, but she couldn't make out anything they were saying. In her head she kept seeing flashes of space, both black and white, the murky form of the general and the bright blinding light that had exposed Cross.

The next few minutes passed by in a blur. Lex was aware of walking back into the house, of Tim staring at her with wide eyes, his flashlight beam shaking as Tom bent down to whisper something in his ear. She was aware of Tom pocketing the gun, snatching the keys to his car as she heard the sound of an engine start up and travel in the direction of the woods. She was aware of Becky starting a fire, wrapping a blanket she couldn't feel around her shoulders. Of Tim sitting next to her when Becky left.

Lex was incredibly tired. Her entire body ached. Her chest felt hollow as she gripped tightly to the lighter in her pocket.

Stuck in her head and her own exhaustion, Lex missed the sound of a car pulling up outside. It wasn't until Tim stood up that Lex found herself able to move again, hearing the rough sounds of footsteps on the porch. Her body moved clumsily, acting on instinct as she pulled the kid back behind her, blocking his body as two people flew through the front door. For a moment, the newcomers stared in shock as Lex's mind attempted to process the information.

Then, her sister leapt towards her, burying her head in her chest as her arms wrapped tightly around her torso.

At first, Lex was too stunned to move. Alice Woodward stared at her with wide eyes somehow full of relief and worry all at the same time. Then she looked down in her arms at her younger sister, shaking with heavy, hiccupping breaths. Her arms fell naturally around her sister, cupping the back of her head as she melted right back into Hannah.

"It's alright Banana. I'm alright." Lex croaked, barely able to speak past the knot in her own throat.

Hannah looked up at her with tears in her eyes as she swallowed.

"You were shot. I saw it." She whispered, her eyes falling to her collarbone.

Lex swallowed dryly, knowing that Hannah had already been missing by the time their attacker had gotten his hands on the gun. Her sister still shaking in her arms, Lex pulled down her shirt just enough to reveal the dark bruising that had already started to form.

"He tried, but he didn't get a chance. It's just a bruise, like my neck." Lex explained gently as she tried her best not think about what it meant that Hannah had seen her get shot.

Her arm pulled her sister back into her body, as Hannah closed her eyes and leaned into her chest. Lex turned back to Tim, watching them with careful eyes.

"Tim," She called out quietly seeing him straighten eagerly when he was addressed. "You know where Becky went off to? Could you get her, let her know Hannah's back?"

Tim nodded, peeking around and checking on Hannah before dashing upstairs. Lex watched him leave before turning to face Alice. The other girl swallowed hard, taking in Lex's appearance as she noticed the stains of blood and dirt down her clothes.

"You ok?" Lex checked in as Alice nodded stiffly.

"I'm alright." She confirmed, as her eyes met Lex's. It wasn't hard to tell there was more she wanted to say.

Thankfully Becky and Tim came back almost immediately.

"Oh Hannah, thank god." Becky breathed, taking in the sight as she stopped on the landing. "And Alice, what are you doing here?"

"I uh, Hannah found me. Said that Lex was in trouble."

Becky stared at her as Lex realized something wasn't adding up. She looked to Alice quickly, her hand tightening on her sister as Hannah silently watched the exchange.

"I was driving around already so it didn't take me long to get back here." She said quickly, picking up on Lex's panic.

Becky seemed to nod in understanding as she patted Tim's back and sighed.

"Well, if that's the case I better go try and track down Tom. I was just upstairs and found his phone. You didn't end up passing him on your way back did you?" She asked Alice kindly as the girl shook her head.

"Mr. Houston went towards the woods, right?" Lex asked quickly, her mind quickly recalling that information. "Me and Alice can go get him."

"Lex, I don't know if that's a smart idea after everything you've been through tonight-"

"I'll have someone with me, and Hannah and Tim both need someone here." Lex said quickly, her eyes narrowing as she watched Becky realize what she actually meant.

Lex knew the kids needed someone who wasn't half dead to keep watch.

"You're leaving?" Hannah asked, the fear in her voice making her wish she hadn't said anything at all.

Lex looked down at her sister as out of the corner of her eye, she watched Becky gently guide Tim back up the stairs, letting them have a moment alone.

"Just for a little bit. Can't have Mr. Houston out wandering the woods all night looking for you."

"What about Cross?"

"Are you worried he's going to come back tonight?" Lex asked quietly, setting both hands on her sister's shoulders.

Hannah took a moment to think, before she slowly shook her head no, staring into her sisters eyes.

"That's what I feel too. Like he's gone back to whatever hell he crawled out of. Guess I have that effect on people." Lex shrugged, not missing the way Alice covered her small laugh with her sleeve. "Besides, me and Alice probably need to have a chat."

Hannah still looked at her, her eyes unconvinced. Lex couldn't blame her, before when she was being dragged all across the mall at knife point, Hannah hadn't been there to watch. This time...

Shrugging off her jacket, she threw it around her sister's shoulders.

"We'll talk more when I get back, ok?" Lex promised. "Until then, you get ready for bed. You know how pissy Dusty gets when he misses his bedtime."

Rolling her eyes with a thin smile, Hannah nodded. She gripped Lex's jacket tightly around her shoulders as she moved up the stairs. With a heavy sigh, Lex watched her go before finally turning to Alice. Her eyes reflected the light of the fire as they danced with amusement.

"What?" Lex asked shortly.

"Is it Dusty that always gets grumpy at bedtime, or is it Lex?" Alice teased, her eyebrow raising playfully.

"Go get in the car." Lex growled, ignoring the fact that Alice's smile only grew wider.

They both made their way out of the house, Alice immmediately going to the backseat to dig around in the van itself, clearly looking for something. Emerging with a large, baggy sweatshirt, Alice tossed it to Lex before climbing into the driver's seat. Lex followed her lead as she got in the other side, unfolding the article of clothing as she stared down at it.

"What the fuck is this?"

"A sweatshirt." Alice responded simply, buckling her seatbelt as she twisted the key in the ignition. "It's the start of December and freezing outside and you just gave away your jacket."

"Isn't this your dad's?" Lex asked as she felt Alice's eyes on her.

She was still staring down at the crewneck, the once white color had turned to a cream over the years and the screen printing of Mamma Mia! had cracked so badly it was nearly unreadable.

"Yeah, but I stole it from him years ago. I just keep it in here for backup." Alice shrugged. "If you're not going to put it on then at least get your seatbelt on so we can go."

Lex scowled as she threw on the sweatshirt, pulling it over her head before reaching behind her head towards the seatbelt. As soon as she buckled in, Alice turned on the brights as she pulled out of the driveway. With the added light, both girls were able to notice a fresh set of tire tracks leading down the dirt road that turned into the woods. Alice stared at them for a moment, her eyes flicking down the gravel road in the opposite direction.

"Guess we'd better follow the tracks?" Alice asked, looking to Lex for reassurance.

Lex merely shrugged, her head still feeling heavy from before.

Taking a deep breath, Alice pulled the van towards the Witchwoods.

Lex's eyes eventually fell on the edge of the forest, tentatively watching around them as they began to drive into the overwhelming darkness and quiet of the trees.

"The guy who attacked you, he didn't... he didn't uh..." Alice started, her thought trailing as Lex could hear the fear catching up to her.

"Nope." Lex said quickly, hating that she knew exactly what Alice was hinting at.

Hating that it was something she hadn't realized she had been afraid of happening.

Alice's shoulders dropped as she sat back in the seat. She nodded as the van gently slowed to a crawl. The further they drove into the woods, the darker it got around them. It didn't help that the tracks they had been following were only barely visible on the nearly unused road.

"That's a relief at least." Alice admitted quietly, almost thankfully filling in the overwhelming silence. "When Hannah was in my room, she told me what he called you and I don't think she really knew what it meant."

"Wish I didn't either." Lex said plainly, pulling up the collar on the sweatshirt to cover her neck further. A shiver ran down her back as she reached forward to turn up the heat, scowling as she found it already on the highest setting.

They drove in silence for a bit longer before Alice eventually pulled the van to a stop. The road they had been following ended up ahead, but the tracks continued to their left.

"Can this piece of crap even go off-road?" Lex asked, squinting in the darkness in an attempt to see what could have possibly pulled Tom in that direction.

"Well, I'm not getting out and walking in the middle of creepy woods tonight so we better hope so." Alice shrugged as she twisted the wheel. The van eagerly responded in turn. It seemed to fall easily into the treads left behind as they began to move through the rows of trees.

Lex watched them pass with a shiver. The trunks here seemed eerily well placed, almost as if the path had been designed to lead them somewhere.

"How was Hannah, when you found her? Was she hurt at all?" Lex asked suddenly, her fists clenching at her side.

"Wasn't hurt. Just really, really scared." Alice admitted as Lex's stomach twisted. "It looked like she was on the edge of a panic attack."

"She had an episode?"

"Sorta?" Alice answered, her eyes flicking from the road to find Lex staring at her with wide eyes. "She did great though." Alice reassured her quickly.

"Fuck." Lex cursed softly, remembering the long nights when Hannah was younger. Nights her sister would wake up from nightmares, yelling out for Webby to 'take them away'.

She looked around them impatiently, wondering how far into the forest they had gone. The trees passing by were growing progressively older and older, the overwhelming presence of darkness feeling more and more suffocating the longer they stayed underneath the canopy.

Why the fuck would Tom ever think a kid could even make it this far?

"It wasn't just an anxiety thing, was it?" Alice asked quietly, pulling Lex's attention right back.

"Not with our luck." Lex answered dryly.

"She said you sent her away. Wanted her to go somewhere safe. But... you don't even know where I live, do you?"

"Nope." Lex replied stiffly.

"I live across town Lex." Alice said plainly. "Like, too far away for Hannah to walk, across town."

"I'm not hearing a question in there."

"What do you suggest I ask then?" Alice shot back, her voice cracking. "Hey buddy, can you explain how one second I was scrolling my phone and the next a whole person appeared in my room without me seeing?!"

"If you want me to call you crazy, I can't." Lex growled, her fingers digging into her jeans.

"That would make it easier though." Alice suggested.

"No." Lex said quickly. "What would make everything easier is if none of it fucking happened in the first place."

"Ok, but if you did want to talk about it so maybe we both feel less crazy-"

"Talk about what? The fact that the guy who attacked me and my sister disappeared the moment I shot at him? That it scared me so badly that I pushed my sister away and she ended up across town?" Lex asked her sharply. "Sure buddy, I feel much better now. Want to know something even crazier? I certainly didn't mean to do that and I sure as hell don't know how I did it. What if it happens again? What if, next time, she doesn't go to you? What if next time she ends up wherever our bitch mother ran off to and I don't ever see her again?"

Lex's chest huffed with heavy breaths as Alice looked over at her with concern, pulling the van to a gentle stop.

"Lex?"

"What?" Lex growled back dangerously, her arms itching with irritation.

"I think you actually want to talk about it." Alice said plainly.

"I want to go home, go to sleep and not be stuck in the creepy ass woods."

Alice scowled as she looked out the opposite window. The forest hadn't changed in the slightest, the gnarled trunks and roots of the trees simply growing more and more out of control as their 'path' narrowed. As Lex tried to figure out where the hell they were, she noticed something had changed. Looking out the back window, the tracks they had been following suddenly seemed faded.

If she blinked, it was almost as if they disappeared entirely.

Lex looked back at Alice who was staring straight ahead, her eyes fixed on something neither girl had noticed before.

Ahead the trees finally parted, revealing a small clearing. Despite being free from the treetops shadowing the rest of the forest around them, the area seemed to be missing any of the light that should have existed from the clear night sky. In the direct center of the clearing, an old, rotting wooden platform stood out against the trees surrounding them. A fraying rope with a loop at the end swung eerily back and forth over above a hatch that had long since fallen away.

Despite both of them keeping their eyes peeled while driving, somehow neither Alice or Lex had noticed the gallows that now stood in front of them.

"Ok." Alice announced after a few seconds, her voice cracking slightly. "I hate that."

Lex watched the noose as it swung slowly back and forth from its post. Her eyes flicked to the trees surrounding them. Their branches didn't twitch or sway.

There was no wind.

As she turned her attention back, the platform seemed to grow more and more vibrant, the once rotting wood almost fixing itself back together in front of their eyes. Blinking, Lex realized that the hatch that had been completely missing before was now back in place.

Waiting to drop again.

"Alice." Lex started, her eyes not leaving the rope.

"Yep. Seeing it too." Alice answered quickly, her hands tightening around the steering wheel. "And I'm not seeing any more tracks either."

"There's no way anyone would come all the way out here trying to find someone moving on foot." Lex shook her head, suddenly feeling like it was much clearer. "Mr. Houston's not fucking out here."

"Ok, so I'm good to drive as fast as I can away from this place?" Alice asked quickly, her eyes growing wide as they both watched the rope suddenly stiffen and grow still.

Almost as if a weight had been placed in its loop.

Lex nodded as Alice barely waited for her response. Throwing the van in reverse, she threw her weight on the wheel as she turned them around completely. Lex felt herself get thrown back in her seat as Alice quickly switched to drive, tearing out the dirt and grass beneath them as the van leapt to follow her instructions.

Leaving Alice to drive, Lex turned in her seat to watch behind them. The clearing had disappeared entirely, replaced with the same gnarled and ancient trees that surrounded the rest of the area. The further they drove away, the more those very trees seemed to change. Their branches extended as their trunks bent at sharp angles. Their bark caught the reflection of moonlight that wasn't present anywhere else as they began to glow a faint and pale white.

With a sinking feeling in her chest, Lex realized she recognized the sight. She had grown up at the edge of the forest, spent her entire life feeling like something lurked within it. As the sight grew smaller and smaller in the distance, she remembered exactly why.

Lex knew there was a web buried deep in the woods, and tonight, they had nearly been led straight into it.

***

Lex held the passenger door open as she stared at Alice pointedly.

"Come on."

"What?"

"It's cold as fuck out here and I want to get inside, so hurry up." Lex said impatiently, her hand still gripping the door as her face burrowed down into the sweatshirt.

"Lex, I should probably get home-" Alice started, before Lex interrupted her with a huff.

"So you're smart enough to figure out that something weird happened with Hannah, but dumb enough to go back out tonight? After we were just led to whatever the fuck we saw in those fucking woods?"

Alice grimaced as she flicked off the engine and opened the driver side door. She heard Lex slam her own door shut as her footsteps crunched in the night air. Coming around the side of the car, she watched Lex make her way to the house. Before following, Alice looked up in the upstairs window as she saw the slat of a blind quickly drop back in place.

Lex didn't seem to notice their watcher as she pushed through the front door, leaving it wide open as she made her way further in the house. Alice trailed just slightly behind, taking a moment to shut and lock it behind her.

"We have to get you a phone." Tom's voice rumbled as Alice turned the corner to the living room to see the man jump to his feet.

Lex leaned heavily against the doorway as she crossed her arms.

"Sure, if Becky can get me some pills to push, the good kind, I can go out and have one by tomorrow night." Lex suggested dryly.

"Lex-"

"Where did you go anyways? I thought you were checking the woods." She asked him quickly, her eyes narrowing.

Alice watched the man's face carefully as he briefly looked confused before shaking his head.

"I did a lap around the nearest couple of blocks. Realized I left my phone, came back to grab it to see you two had already left."

Alice grew still as she let the information sink in. She looked quickly over at Lex as her arms dropped, her hands clenching into fists. She thought again about what Lex had said. That something had led them into the woods.

Hannah had told her the man that attacked them hadn't driven a car, but they both saw the tire tracks that broke off towards the forest.

"Right, well, we're all here now." Lex said quickly, pushing off the doorway. "Alice good to stay?"

"Sure?"

Lex turned to her, ignoring the man's confusion as she tilted her head up the stairs. Alice nodded, following her silently.

"Goodnight Lex." Tom called from living room, his voice reminding Alice an awful lot like her dad's when he expected an answer.

Lex stopped, ignoring Alice's smirk as she watched her face go just a shade darker.

"Goodnight Mr. Houston." Lex responded quickly, looking up at the ceiling for just a moment before making her way up the rest of the stairs.

She stopped outside the door to her room, clearly listening to see if Hannah was asleep. She looked over at Alice who shook her head slightly. Rubbing her face with a sigh, Lex gently opened the door.

"Wanna explain what you're still doing up?" She asked stiffly as Hannah scooted back further on the bed to let her sister sit down next to her.

"I was trying to find Webby."

Alice watched carefully as Lex seemed to flinch, her eyes flicking worriedly towards the window. Making note to follow up on that later, Alice leaned back against the wall, her eyes feeling heavy as she closed them.

She hadn't realized just how late it was.

"Right. That's something else we probably need to talk about." Lex sighed softly. "But I heard what happened, when you were with Alice. How are we feeling now?"

"Tired." Hannah yawned as Alice chuckled.

She lazily opened one eye to watch Lex smile at Hannah as she fell back into the bed with a heavy sigh.

"Funny what happens when you skip bed time." Lex teased sarcastically, pulling the blanket up to tuck her sister in.

"I was waiting for you two to come back." Hannah argued.

"Which is the only reason you aren't in trouble."

"Is Alice staying up here?"

Alice leaned forward as she looked to Lex who shrugged.

"Do you want me to stay up here?" Alice asked gently, smiling as Hannah nodded.

"Wait, don't I get a say in this?" Lex asked.

"Nope." Alice grinned.

Pushing her luck further than she had in the past, she scooted in right next to Lex, watching as Hannah moved eagerly to the wall so they could all have room.

Resigning herself to the close quarters, Lex reached down and grabbed the other blanket that was hanging off the bed. Tossing it up in the air, she spread it out enough to cover them both as she laid back.

"You know Hannah, this isn't really fair to Alice. Since she doesn’t have her own pillow-"

"Sure I do." Alice interrupted quickly, twisting her body so that her head rested on Lex's shoulder.

"I swear to god-" Lex huffed before she angrily sighed. "You'd better not snore."

Chuckling, Alice ignored her as she pulled the blanket up higher.

"Night Hannah." Alice said gently, hearing the young girl answer with her own happy hum.

With that, Lex's body finally seemed to lose the rest of her tension as she shifted gently, careful to not disturb both Hannah and Alice as she settled down into the bed.

It took a few minutes, but eventually the familiar sounds of Hannah's gentle snores filled the room. Alice listened to them with a slight bit of jealously as her mind wandered. She tried to find the familiar racing in her chest that normally came at the end of a long and uncertain night and found nothing but the sound of Lex's own quick heartbeat.

With a slight shiver, Alice realized that she hadn't been surprised with what the night had revealed.

There had always been something off about the Foster sisters. Even before she had met them at Hidgen's, she had heard the rumors. A pair of cursed sisters. One crazy, one hopeless. Some people blamed their mother. Others didn't care.

It wasn't like she was a stranger to rumors herself. When she had come out, there had been plenty of people throwing her name around like it was mud. Wondering how the good Christian daughter of Bill had fallen so far. At school it wasn't so bad. Pretty much the only people who still thought being gay was a sin were brainwashed kids like Grace Chasity and a few others that had been sent too many summers in a row to Abstinence Camp.

Rumors were just supposed to be rumors. Small harmful half-truths that twisted and twisted until they became straight lies.

Alice remembered just how panicked Lex had sounded in the car. The way her entire body tensed as she talked about how she sent Hannah away. She remembered the last day they had spent in the safe house, and the gun that Alice would've sworn hadn't been in Lex's pockets seconds before she had mentioned it. The way the tracks they had been following in the woods disappeared behind them and the way the gallows had seemingly appeared in front of them...

"Hey, Lex?" The question was out of her mouth before she had a chance to stop it.

Hoping that she hadn't just woken up the person she was currently using as a pillow, she felt Lex's mumbled answer more than she heard it.

"What?"

"I think we really need to talk."

For a moment, only the sound of Hannah's snoring responded. She remembered how quickly Lex had shut down every other time she had tried to dig further, knowing this would probably end the same way-

"Tomorrow." Lex promised, none of her normal sarcasm present in her voice.

"I'm holding you to that." Alice said quickly as she felt Lex's chest rumble in a short laugh.

"Shut up and go to sleep."

As Alice felt her eyes start to slowly close, Lex shifted one last time, the arm closest to her lifting and moving underneath Alice's neck and shoulder as it stretched to the other side of the bed. Without the awkward barrier between them, Alice hesitantly readjusted herself, moving so that her head rested more comfortably into Lex's chest as she turned her body closer.

Almost on instinct she brought her own arm up to wrap around Lex's torso, hesitating for only a moment before realizing that the other girl seemed not to mind. Or more likely, she wasn't saying anything if she did. Her thoughts finally slowing with the promise of maybe getting some answers tomorrow, Alice's eyes grew heavy as she finally began to drift off.

"G'night Alice." Lex mumbled quietly, breaking the silence that had existed between them.

Alice would've thought she imagined it had it not been for the soft vibrations of Lex's chest as she spoke. That same low rumble of her voice that slowly changed to a steady rise and fall of light snoring as Lex fell asleep within seconds.

Too soon to hear the words whispered quietly back.

"Night Lex."

Chapter Text

Lex's mouth was dry as she woke up. In her head was an insistent buzzing. Clenching her eyes shut she noted the pressure on her chest and arm was still as clingy as it had been last night. She gently moved her head, burying it back into her pillow as she tried to wake up enough to figure out what to do next. As she did, the buzzing mercifully stopped. Releasing a sigh, Lex slowly felt herself being lulled back asleep-

BZZT, BZZT, BZZT.

Her eyes shot open irritably. Gently maneuvering her shoulder out from underneath Alice's head, Lex smoothly pulled her pillow down for her instead. Turning to check on Hannah, she was relieved to see her sister still asleep, unaffected by the noise or Lex's movements. Mourning the loss of what had been the first restful sleep she had in a while, Lex turned to finding the source of her unexpected alarm. Rolled tightly in the blanket her and Alice had shared, Alice's phone buzzed uselessly against the bed, unable to wake the teen responsible for answering it.

Gingerly unwrapping it from the tangle of blanket it was stuck in, Lex slid out of the bed as slowly as she could before squinting at the bright screen. The caller ID read Dad with a dorky picture of Bill Woodward smiling widely at the camera.

Lex wondered if Alice had taken it willingly.

Looking over to the window, she saw that the sun was just beginning to rise, the early yellow light just barely leaking into the room past the blinds themselves. The phone fell dark in her hand as the call lapsed once again. For a moment, Alice's notifications appeared.

4 missed calls.
1 New Message.

Before Lex had a chance to entertain her curiosity, the screen changed once again back to the grinning face of Bill Woodward.

Rolling her eyes, Lex checked on the other two people in the room, watching as both Hannah and Alice continued sleeping through the disruption. Carefully opening the door, Lex answered the phone as she stepped out and started walking down the hallway.

"Alice Woodward, young lady you are in so much trouble! Where are you?! I woke up this morning to the keys and car being gone and you weren't in your room-"

"Hey Bill. Quick question, you ever considered smoking some weed?" Lex suggested casually, stopping the man's spiral as she picked her way down the steps.

"Excuse me?!"

"I'm just saying. I hear it helps with anxiety. Might help you chill out-"

"Alexandra is that you?! What are you doing with my daughter's phone? Oh god, she's in prison somewhere I just know it." Bill rambled with concern. "I swear if you have dragged her into one of your trailer trash drug deals, I will-"

Lex grit her teeth as she stopped on the last step, her hand clenching tightly to the phone as she held it to her ear.

"Relax. She's fine." Lex growled. "If you don't believe me you can call Becky or Tom since they let her stay here."

"What do you mean, stay there? With you?" Bill asked incredulously, adding the last question almost as if he was insulted by the thought. "I thought she was over the whole Deb break-up thing? Paul told me they had found a new apartment. Why didn't she go over there? Have you got something on her? Some sort of blackmail?"

Lex sat down on the last step as she reminded herself to breathe, pushing past her irritation.

"Sure. Let's just call my sister blackmail now." Lex sarcastically replied before shaking her head. "Last night something weird happened with Hannah, Alice helped me take care of it. It was pretty late and I didn't want to let her drive home alone. Figured you'd understand why that would be a bad idea."

"What's a bad idea is you getting involved with my daughter at all. How do I know you won't convince her to start skipping school?! You already have her sneaking out of the house at all hours."

"You're the one calling her at 5 in the morning." Lex shot back, before taking a deep breath. "I may be a drop-out but Hannah has never missed a day of school. I still remember what time classes start at Hatchetfield, I'll make sure Alice gets there on time." Lex responded stiffly before a smile crept her way onto her face, hearing Bill huff on the other end of the line.

"If it makes you feel better, I'll even give her a kiss goodbye when I drop her off." She smirked, waiting just a moment for Bill's horrified inhale before pulling the phone away from her ear and ending the call.

She let the quiet of the morning finally settle in as she leaned back on the steps. As she did, her shoulder twinged in pain as the memories from the night before came back slowly. Grimacing, she pulled down both the sweatshirt she was wearing and her own shirt to look down at the dark bruising on her collarbone. It was an angry and deep purple, the injury easily spreading past the singular point the gun was held.

Lex stared it longer than she meant to. When she finally tore her eyes away, she found that her pulse was racing. Her mouth still dry, she could still hear the empty click of the gun in her head.

Rubbing her face, Lex pulled herself to her feet looking down at the phone in her hand as the screen woke once more.

4 missed calls
2 new messages

Before it fell asleep, Lex clicked into the notifications, expanding the view to see who else had been up at 5 am. To her surprise, neither of the messages had been from Bill, but rather Deb. Stopping herself from snooping further, Lex grimaced as she swiped away the notification, sliding the phone into her pocket as she made her way to the kitchen.

Tom and Becky still had an hour before they would be awake, and once they left Lex knew she would have to wake up Hannah and Tim to get them ready for school. Feeling both all too restless and way too sleepy, Lex pulled out everything she needed to get breakfast started.

About an hour later, Lex sat at the kitchen table, squinting against the glare of the rising sun as she studied her laptop. She scrolled past the same few job postings she had seen the last several days. Sighing, Lex hovered over the search radius, considering extending it over into Clivesdale before she looked up in time to catch Tom entering the kitchen.

"Morning Mr. Houston." Lex greeted him sleepily, smiling as she enjoyed the confused look on his face. "There's pancakes in the fridge."

Rubbing his eyes, Tom blinked several times and looked again at Lex, confirming that she was actually there.

"Did you get any sleep?" He mumbled worriedly as he made his way over the coffee pot.

"Enough." Lex shrugged, turning her attention back to the computer. She moved her mouse away from the radius as she switched tabs, waiting impatiently for the CCRP website to load.

She could hear the hiss and growl of the coffee machine as it switched on.

"Enough to pass the bandsaw test?" Tom asked after a moment, shuffling towards the fridge.

Lex snorted, remembering the ridiculous rule that she was fairly certain Tom had made up just for the kids who stayed up too late partying. Anything less than 3 hours and you were forced to use hand tools for the entire class.

"I'll be sure to steer clear of power equipment for the day." Lex assured him sarcastically, her brow furrowing as she refreshed the page, still waiting for the website to load.

Tom slid into the chair next to her, a single pancake held in his hand as he looked over at Lex's screen.

"How's the job search going?" He asked awkwardly, taking a bite of his breakfast as Lex sighed irritably. She slammed the screen shut as the page spat out yet another error message.

"You know, Lex, me and Becky aren't expecting you to pay to stay here. You can take some time off. If you want. I understand it's probably been hard, with everything that happened and uh... Ethan-"

"Aren't you the person who said I needed to get a phone last night?" Lex interrupted dryly, her shoulders tensing.

With a quiet beep, they both began to hear the water run in the coffee machine, signaling that the brew was nearly done. Lex looked pointedly at Tom as he gave her a single withered look before conceding. Pushing his chair back, he finished his pancake in a large bite and moved to the cupboard to get a mug.

"Want any?" He asked without turning around as Lex shook her head.

"Nah. You know caffeine isn't my drug of choice."

"Very funny." Tom replied without laughing, grabbing two mugs down from the cabinet and pouring one for himself.

He moved back to the table, his eyes still half open as they both heard someone else make their way down the stairs. Becky was the next person to appear in the kitchen, looking much more awake than either of them.

"Oh good, Lex. I wanted to ask you how you were feeling this morning." Becky smiled as she glanced over and saw the mug Tom had left out for her.

"Seems to be a popular concern right now." Lex grumbled, rolling her eyes as she crossed her arms over her laptop, leaning forward onto the table.

"She got less than 3 hours of sleep so our sarcasm is turned up extra today." Tom answered for her, taking a sip from his coffee as Lex glared at him.

"I meant, how are you feeling physically." Becky clarified, keeping the peace as she poured her mug and moved over to stand next to Tom. "You were pretty disorientated last night."

"Getting attacked by a creepy pervert will do that to you." Lex shot back quickly before watching Becky sigh. "I'm fine. Just an annoying headache. And this whole situation sucks." Lex gestured to the knot of bruising in her shoulder, pulling aside her clothing to let Becky inspect it.

Setting the mug down on the table, Becky raised a hand to touch it, looking up to Lex for permission. With her nod, the nurse gently began to poke around the outside of the bruising, making sure to watch Lex's reaction for anything too tender. After a moment, she moved towards the center before Lex's painful hiss told her that was probably too far.

Becky stood up, her face frowning as she thought for a moment.

"You don't have to do it now, but at some point today will you try and test your range of motion?" Becky asked gently. "If you notice any sharp pain let me know, I want to make sure he didn't do any damage to the bone. I've got some Tylenol upstairs for the pain and there's ice in the fridge for the swelling."

Lex stared at her for a moment before nodding. With a smile, Becky set a hand on Tom's shoulder.

"Lex made pancakes for everyone." He informed her, looking up at the woman with a smile. "Almost as if she cares about us or something."

"Try bored as shit." Lex rolled her eyes, ignoring the obvious tease.

Tom got up to grab another pancake as Becky moved to grab a plate.

"So are you taking Tim to school again, or would like me to drop the kids off on my way to work?" Becky asked, her head turning to face Lex.

"I figured I'd make Alice help me take them. That way they can both sleep in a little longer."

Tom's eyes widened as he froze, the pancake still half hanging out of his mouth.

"Fuuuuccck." He cursed, swallowing the bite he had taken as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and flipped it on. "I forgot she stayed the night."

Lex smirked as she watched his panic.

"How many missed calls you get?" She asked as Becky sat down next to her and began to eat.

Grimacing, Tom took a minute as he scrolled.

"Too many. Jesus Bill, it's not like she hasn't stayed over here before." Tom growled.

"That might be my fault." Lex admitted as both adults stared at her. "He woke me up at 5 am with his calling. I had to fuck with him a little bit."

Tom looked at her dryly.

"Thanks, Lex."

"It's cause I care." Lex smirked back at him, feeling a slight sense of victory as she watched his stony face break just slightly.

"I'll give him a call later. Let him know what happened." Becky offered, finishing her plate as moved to place it in the sink. She glanced at the watch on her wrist as she looked over at Tom. "We probably need to be leaving soon."

"Right." Tom mumbled, sliding his phone away in his pocket.

Shoving the rest of his breakfast in his mouth, he moved over and placed one giant hand on Lex's head as he scruffed her hair. Downing the last of his coffee, Tom moved to kiss Becky on the cheek before lumbering up the stairs. Lex watched him go with a bit of relief. Becky caught her eye as they both shared a soft smile. They both knew he was going to say goodbye to Tim.

Since Black Friday, he had really been trying to do better. There were a few times he had forgotten, and if Tim didn't remind him, then Lex or Becky made sure he knew.

"Don't forget, do some exercises and let me know tonight how they went. And try and ice it for at least 40 minutes. We want to try and get that swelling down." Becky summarized, grabbing Tom's mug and moving it to the sink. She hesitated for a moment as Lex raised an eyebrow.

As weird as it felt, she knew that this was new to all of them.

Taking a deep breath, Becky smiled at her before they were both saved from trying to come up with what came next by Tom hurrying back down the stairs. Grabbing his keys, he leaned into the kitchen doorway and looked directly at Lex.

"What are your plans for the day?"

"Job search." Lex replied plainly, breaking the stare as she grimaced down at her laptop.

"From home?" Tom followed up quickly.

"Probably. Guess I could run down to Best Buy or whatever, see if they have applications." Lex shrugged.

"Try not to do that. I need 3 days without worrying about you getting killed, if you wouldn't mind."

Lex snorted.

"Trying my best over here." She pointed out as she raised a hand to gesture vaguely around her.

"Try harder." Tom called out over his shoulder as he turned to leave.

Lex rolled her eyes as she smiled, raising a hand to wave goodbye to Becky as she followed Tom out the door. The house soon fell quiet as she heard the car start up and drive off. Turning to look at the clock on the wall, Lex frowned. With Alice driving them, she could actually afford to leave the house a little later than she usually did.

Her eyes drifted to the back door and the balcony. Lex pushed her chair back, stopping by the fridge to check how much food was left before she opened the back door and stepped outside. The quiet of the morning greeted her as she looked down at the edge of the yard, to the rickety fence that separated them from the witchwood. Her eyes carefully scanned the edge of the woods, looking for anything out of place. She remembered the glow of Cross's eyes as he lurched out-

Her hands dug tightly into the railing she heard the door slide open behind her.

"Lex?"

Blinking out of the fog she was in, Lex turned to face Alice.

"Everything ok?" She asked quietly.

"Besides being exhausted? Sure." Lex shrugged, shaking the memory as she pulled Alice's phone from her pocket. "Not sure how you get any sleep with your ex and your dad trying to get ahold of you at 5 am."

Alice looked down at her phone, her brow furrowing before she looked up at Lex.

"You looked though my phone?"

"I didn't look through shit. I just told your dad you were still alive so he'd stop calling." Lex explained, pushing back through the door as she walked inside. "Breakfast's in the fridge."

Pulling out a chair at the table, Lex shook away the feeling of eyes watching her as she folded her arms and set her chin down on them. Quickly looking down at her phone, Alice slid it into her pocket without checking it as she moved to the fridge and got herself a plate.

She ate in silence while Lex let her eyes truly close for the first time since being woken up. At once she became aware that she was still wearing Alice's sweatshirt from last night, her hands pulling up into the longer sleeves. After a moment, Alice cleared her throat awkwardly.

"So... when are we talking about last night?" She asked hesitantly.

"I don't know." Lex admitted honestly. "How many questions are you going to have?"

"A few."

"And that's a few too many than I feel like getting into right now." Lex sighed. "You taking the kids to school with me?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Alice asked curiously.

"Didn't know if you felt like running after everything that happened." Lex shrugged.

She felt Alice's hand on her elbow.

"Lex, I'm not going anywhere."

"My shoulder really that comfortable?" Lex asked dryly as Alice sighed, recognizing the deflection for exactly what it was.

"How about after school?" Alice offered as a compromise. "I'll even go today, let you have some time alone and all." She teased gently.

Lex felt her heart stop and start again.

Alone. Right...

Her eyes flicked to the door, still remembering the green eyes she had seen glowing in the tree line. She could still hear his voice in her head, just as mocking as ever.

Don't miss me too much Lexi.

Pushing her chair out, Lex stood up suddenly.

"Sure, whatever." She answered quickly, biting her cheek as she recognized the way her voice cracked ever so slightly. Burying it under her own irritation, Lex looked quickly at the clock.

"I'm sending Tim down to eat. He's been trying to try some of his dad's coffee lately so just make sure he doesn't." Lex rolled her eyes as she made her way up the stairs, not waiting for Alice's response.

It didn't take long to wake Tim, the young boy having already been mostly awake by the time his dad left. The promise of food had him eagerly up and out of the room before Lex had to even do much. With a small smile, she moved across the hall to where they had been staying. Pushing gently into the room, she wasn't surprised to see Hannah awake, sitting up straight on the bed, her eyes closed as she held her hand out.

"Hey Banan." She said gently, closing the door behind her. "Still no luck?"

She moved over to sit next to her sister as Hannah shook her head.

"She usually shows." Hannah said worriedly, looking down at her palm as if waiting for something to appear on it.

Lex turned over her own palm as she stared at it, easily recalling the vibrant white spider that would often materialize when she was younger. Just like she expected, Lex saw nothing, felt nothing. She briefly wondered if she reached out-

Shaking her head, she hesitantly wrapped an arm around Hannah's shoulder as her hand dropped heavily back to her lap. Her fingers gripped to Hannah's arm as if to remind herself that she was still there.

"I know." Lex said softly, not knowing what more she could say.

Webby was a part of Hannah's life. Lex knew sometimes she was there more than either her or Ethan ever could be. Her chest ached as a familiar cold guilt entered her bones.

Now Hannah was stuck with just her.

"She's missed you."

It wasn't the first time her sister had told her. She had mentioned it before, back when Lex could still pretend that the imaginary friend she had was an angel and that her 'powers' were simply games she played to avoid the reality of her shitty childhood.

She remembered the way Webby had tried to get her attention days ago, wondering what might have happened if only she stopped and listened. If maybe she would've known what Cross was planning, why he was after them.

"I guess I haven't really been a good friend, have I?"

Her voice cracked as Hannah moved gently to lean against her chest. Lex's eyes began to burn, the guilt more than familiar as it rose uncomfortably in her chest. Downstairs they heard Alice chastise Tim as he groaned. It felt like a welcome distraction.

"I told her he would try and get a cup." Lex rolled her eyes before sighing. Peeling her hand off her sister's shoulder, she gently patted Hannah's head. "While Webby's gone, you need to let me know if your visions get worse. Doesn't matter what I'm doing, come get me."

Hannah nodded, looking at the door before she looked back at Lex.

"Alice helped me." Hannah told her with a smile that almost was enough to melt Lex's fear. "She believed me, when I told her what I saw."

"Yeah?" Lex asked, tilting her head with the smallest smile of her own. She thought for a moment. "That's good at least. Considering it seems like she's going to be sticking around for the time being."

Hannah's smile grew even larger as Lex pulled her sister further into her lap, wrapping her other arm around her tightly.

"But who knows, your sister might go and scare her off today, so no getting your hopes up." She teased, squeezing Hannah playfully as her sister rolled her eyes.

"You're not that scary." Hannah said plainly, staring up at Lex as she frowned.

"Scary enough to chase away everything so far." Lex shot back with a grin and confidence she knew she didn't feel.

There was an unasked question that hung over her head as she stared down at Hannah, remembering just how scared she had been last night. Remembering the way her sobs caught in her throat as she remembered something that hadn't happened.

It didn't matter that the gun had never gone off. That the echo of it's empty click seemed to haunt her. To Hannah, Lex had been shot.

She had seen her get shot.

How long would it be until their luck ran out?

Before Hannah could say anything else, Lex stood up, lifting her sister to her feet as she plopped her on the floor. It was getting late. They might have a ride, but that just meant running the risk of hitting morning traffic.

"Come on, I made pancakes. Better get downstairs before Tim eats them all."

Hannah's eyes widened, taking Lex at her word as she moved quickly through the room and made her way down the stairs. As she left, Lex took a moment to close her eyes, rubbing her face as her exhaustion set back in.

They had barely talked about Webby or anything that had happened last night.

Just another thing she had failed at.

Her eyes opened as they fell on her desk. With her laptop downstairs, it was as empty as it had been when they first moved in. Empty as it was before she had dragged herself to the Green's garage, slipping in and out to grab the stereo she had wanted to take with them from the beginning. She had always listened to it more than Ethan did anyways. Lex had made sure to come and go quietly, returning the spare key Ethan had given her before his father could wake up.

Before he could realize it was her fault that his son was gone.

Lex ripped Alice's sweatshirt off, suddenly feeling like she was suffocating in its once comforting warmth. Tossing it onto the barren desk, Lex looked down at her arms. The scratches from before were still there, faint scabs holding their own unasked questions. Questions Lex hoped neither Alice or her sister would ask as she snatched her own jacket off Hannah's side of the bed. Tossing it over her shoulder, Lex walked to the corner of the room, reaching down and grabbing Hannah's school bag.

She turned around to the empty room, hearing the idle chatter come from downstairs. Before shutting the door behind her, Lex held out her hand. She closed her eyes, not quite reaching, but inviting. The way she used to, when she was younger.

Her invitation went unanswered as Lex sighed, closing the door harder than she meant to.

It was going to be a long day.

***

Lex looked down at the scrap of paper Alice had written her address down on. Looking up again at her laptop, her stomach dropped as she could finally see the full distance that Hannah had traveled last night.

Just how far Lex had sent her.

Her hands began to shake as she dropped the paper, choosing to clench them into fists instead. Once again, she was reminded just how impossible this all was. It was impossible that her entire town went crazy over a doll. It was impossible that she was able to reach through, whatever it was, to grab objects she couldn't even see. It was impossible that her sister could sometimes see the future, that they shared an imaginary friend who was also apparently some type of god.

That there were people hunting them.

She thought back to the man from the night before. The way he stepped out of the trees. Her eyes begin to burn as her mind eagerly reminded her of another impossibility. The reason she was able to see through his lie.

He had been wearing Ethan's skin. Mocking her with his voice.

The chair Lex was sitting in scraped across the kitchen floor as she stood up, her arm clumsily knocking closed the lid of her laptop. Her hand reached out to the side as she felt the now familiar weight on the end of it.

Tom had never told her where he kept the general's gun, just like Lex had never told him how she found it every time. She walked out onto the balcony once more, the gun held loosely in her hand as her eyes kept to the fence line. She thought she saw flashes of movement deep in the forest, unable to tell if they were shadows or lights.

There was still a single can left on the fence.

Lex blinked, wondering if Hannah or Tim had found one still laying around from Alice's lessons days ago. Remembering the hollow click from the gun the night before, Lex aimed at it.

Biting her cheek, she forced her shoulders down as she flicked the safety off. Her finger curled around the trigger-

The gun fell to the deck, thankfully not firing as Lex stumbled away from the railing, breathing heavily. Her eyes searched out in front of her.

The forest was the same as it had always been.

Her hands still shaking, Lex wiped her face, blinking quickly as she fought to lose the image she had just seen. For a moment, the trees behind the fence had changed. For a moment she could've sworn there were people in the forest. Watching her. Their eyes filled with the same familiar hatred...

Whatever she had seen was gone. Replaced with the exact same trees that had stood there for longer than Lex had been alive. The ones that had always been there.

She watched the tree line carefully, bending down to pick up the gun and flicking the safety back on. Her hands shook as she slid it back into her pocket. After a moment more of searching, Lex put her arms out in front of her, pushing against the railing as her fingers dug into it. Tearing her eyes off the forest, she looked down at the deck below her.

Once again, she had nearly been killed. Once again, they had gone after Hannah. The only thing she still had left.

And she couldn't even hold onto a gun properly.

"They're going to get us eventually." Lex admitted to no one. Her chest felt like it was slowly being crushed. Her hands gripped the railing as she felt the jagged edges of the worn wood dig splinters into her palms.

"You're not giving up are you, Lex?"

Now she was hearing voices.

Hands still dug deep into the railing, Lex's head turned to face the misty apparition of General John Macnamara.

"No, no." Lex said firmly, shaking her head. "This is all because I didn't get enough sleep or whatever. Some sort of trauma response. You aren't here." She told it plainly, too tired to be frustrated.

The general himself was much less clear then he had appeared that night in the mall, his form flickering and uncertain. His eyes bore into Lex's soul the same way they did back then.

He smiled.

"I'm quite selective of just who becomes PIEP. Members must have bravery to face the unknown, tenacity to go toe-to-toe with eldritch beings and metaphorical gods. And above all... they must have the heart to see it through."

Lex choked on her laugh as she pried her hands from the railing. Apparently they were doing this.

"You chose me because you were desperate." She snapped, turning around to fully face him. "No one in that mall had their head on straight, or if they did, they fucking died. I'm not any of those things."

Macnamara stared at her, his eyes unyielding.

"Paranormal, Interdimensional, Extraterrestrial, Phenomenon. PIEP was founded to combat any threat to our way of life or existence." He explained after a moment, moving to step closer to Lex. As he did, he seemed to almost grow clearer.

Or maybe she slipping further.

"PIEP is the organization the desperate turn to."

Lex shook her head again, grabbing at her forehead.

"I've lost my mind. I'm talking to a hallucination and it's speaking fucking gibberish."

"Gibberish is stage 4. I am only at stage 2." Macnamara continued, unaffected by Lex staring him down. "As you can no doubt see, my body isn't what it used to be. Exposure to the powers and endless abysmal nature of the Black and White has rendered me all but useless in your world."

For a moment, Macnamara's color returned, Lex could make out the texture on his vest, the way his long hair caught the light. He became real in a way that made her feel like she could reach out and touch him.

Lex threw her hands deep into the pockets of her jacket, suddenly reminded of the way the gallows had appeared last night.

"I didn't come seeking you, Lex. You pulled me here."

"Who the fuck are you even? Why do you know so much about... any of this?" Lex cried, her arms raising as she gestured around her frustrated.

"I am simply a man trying to do right by my country. One who is moved by the ways in which people love each other and try to keep them safe. A skill you excel at, despite your own misgivings." Macnamara explained gently, pushing past the anger in her voice as if it never existed.

Lex glared at him, feeling her shoulder twinge in pain as she remembered the gun being pressed into her chest. Remembered hearing the empty click of the trigger being pulled.

"If I 'pulled' you here then the only reason either of us are standing here is because your shitty gun misfired last night." Lex laughed bitterly. "How the hell am I supposed to protect anyone if it doesn't even fire properly?"

The man in front of her grinned, his appearance flickering erratically as she could've sworn his serious eyes turned mischievous for just one moment.

"You do not need to worry about the gun failing you, Lex. Cross believes everything belongs to him, but even he knows he did not have the authorization to use my firearm."

A chill ran down Lex's spine as she noticed the recognition in the general's voice. She remembered the glint of Cross's eyes as he spat out his name.

"You know him." She breathed quietly. "The man who attacked us last night."

"He was my mentor." Macnamara admitted, looking around himself carefully as his form seemed to steady once again. "He served PIEP for many years before he became corrupted by the Lords in Black's influence. Now I fear he is too far gone from any semblance of human life or emotion."

"So why the hell is he after us?! And how am I supposed to fight someone who doesn't even blink when his fucking ribs get smashed?"

"You cannot forget, it's not simply Cross who is after you, but his masters. I may have been a thorn in Cross's side, but you are a dagger in Wiggly's back. You and your sister both pose a risk to his machinations the likes of which he has never considered before. You are correct in assuming that they will not stop until that threat has been eliminated."

Lex felt her back hit the railing behind her as she all but fell against it, her legs feeling weak.

"Anyone ever tell you that you're shit at pep talks?" Lex suggested weakly as Macnamara continued to stare at her with those same expectant eyes.

"You will need an ally. Someone who knows Cross and can match him."

"Well, what about you?" Lex asked quickly, stepping forward as she watched Macnamara's form flicker again. "If I can pull your stupid gun out of the Black and White or whatever, why can't I just grab you too? Get you out of the whole 'abysmal' shit?" She offered, her hand peeling itself out of her pocket as she held it out.

The general looked down at it, his eyes changing once again from their stern determination to something softer. He didn't move.

"You are something entirely unique Lex Foster." He said gently, his voice shifting as Lex stared at him.

For a moment, he no longer sounded like a commander. His confidence had melted to something softer, less sure. He took a deep breath, drawing up his chest as his arms snapped behind his back.

His form flickered, the edges of his body becoming blurred and faded. Lex realized with a sinking feeling that his time was running out.

"Humans are not meant to enter or interact with the Black and White. I am already too far gone to merely be pulled from it. Not in a way that my sanity or body would remain intact anyways." He concluded, his voice once again taking on its commanding tone. "There is a balance in this world Lex, one that is constantly tipping. Cross is a man who has had his finger on the scale of evil for far too long. There was once someone who kept it balanced the opposite way. With your help, I believe she stands the best possible chance of tipping it back towards the side of good."

"Would she be able to help you?" Lex asked quietly, watching as his body flickered, disappearing for several moments longer than he had before.

When he did come back, his eyes were the only thing still perfectly clear. They stared at her with expectation.

"You asked how you were meant to fight him. Cross has taken careful steps to disappear the only weapon capable of hurting him along with the woman who once wielded it. Find the Black Blade, and you'll find her. Hatchetfield has a funny way of never letting anything stay buried forever."

Lex recognized the tone of his voice, realizing that her time for getting answers was coming to a close. Her eyes burned with frustration as she stepped closer. She was practically standing right next to him, looking up into those same piercing eyes.

"That's all you have for me to go on?! Find a stupid blade next to what, a body? How are either of those things supposed to help me?!"

Macnamara shifted, bringing his hand to his forehead in a stiff salute as his body all but faded completely. He smiled once more.

"Get it done, Lex." He said carefully. "I know you won't fail."

As Lex stared at him his eyes faded as she was left standing alone on the same deck she had stumbled out onto earlier. Her hand went to her pocket, finding the gun easily. The cold metal the undeniable proof that he had existed at all.

Lex waited for several moments, wondering if he would reappear. Wondering if she could make him reappear. Scowling, Lex looked over her shoulder at the forest.

Nothing stared back at her.

The can she had seen earlier had disappeared from its place on the fence, nowhere to be found in the grass or dirt nearby.

Lex moved stiffly inside, her eyes glancing up to the clock on the microwave. Taking a deep breath, she was almost grateful for the excuse to forget about everything that had just happened. She unplugged her laptop, moving it back up to her room as she tossed it and the power cord onto their bed, moving over to kneel by her backpack. Her hands shook just slightly as she removed the gun from her pocket, sliding it under the change of clothes she always kept there. Her collection of pins clacked noisily as she roughly zipped it back up, tossing it back to its place by the door as she stood up.

Her head turned to face her desk. Alice's sweatshirt had slipped from where she had thrown it this morning, half hanging off the desk itself as one of the sleeves reached towards the ground. Her brow furrowed as moved closer, picking it up gently as she realized Alice had never asked for it back.

Her shoulder twinged in pain as Lex adjusted her arm trying to work out the muscle cramp that had formed. She had tried the exercises Becky had recommended. The bruise that had formed looked nasty, but Lex didn't feel like anything had broken.

The empty click of the gun once again echoed in her ears.

Setting the sweatshirt back on the desk, Lex reached into her pocket, pulling out the slip of paper that Alice had written her address down on. The general's warning still in her ears, Lex knew she'd have to leave right after walking Hannah back home to make it back across town before the sun started to go down.

Heading out of the house to take the familiar path to go pick up her sister, her jaw ached. Her hand messing with the useless lighter in her pocket, Lex remembered the can on the fence, the people staring at her in the woods. She wondered if the hallucinations came from withdrawal.

Chapter Text

The air was still as Lex stood at the doorstep of the address Alice had given her. Even without checking, Lex knew this had to be the place. It helped that the van she had ridden in last night was still parked haphazardly in the drive. Her eyes narrowed at the doorbell before she made the choice to knock instead.

It didn't take long before the door swung open. Lex enjoyed watching Bill's face change from eager to disappointed as his eyes fell on the person standing in his doorway.

"Hi, Mr. Woodward."

"Alexandra-"

"Lex." She quickly corrected him, smiling as he bristled at the interruption.

"Alice isn't home." He lied. Terribly.

Lex raised an eyebrow at him as he mustered up a fake, apologetic smile.

"Well, bye!" He said cheerily, concluding the quick exchange as he went to close the door on her.

Stepping forward just slightly, Lex caught it on her boot, stopping him from closing it entirely.

"You can either let me in and go get her, or I'll just start throwing rocks at your house until I guess the right window." Lex said plainly as she shoved both her hands into her jacket pockets.

Sighing childishly, Bill pulled the door open and gestured her inside, his shoulders drooping in defeat as he rolled his eyes.

"Alice, your delinquent is here." Bill called up the stairs, carelessly pushing the door shut behind Lex as they both stood awkwardly in the entryway.

"Not a delinquent!" Alice quickly snapped back. "Give me a minute."

"She's finishing up her homework. Something I don't think you'd know too much about." Bill explained as he crossed his arms, watching Lex carefully.

"You know, my grades sucked because I sucked at school. Not because I didn't do my homework."

"Homework is meant to make you do better in school. You must not have done it right." Bill smiled back stiffly.

"Something we can both agree on." Lex shrugged, not quite giving Bill the win he wanted.

The space fell silent between them as Lex looked around, ignoring the way Bill anxiously shifted. The home was on the nice end of middle class but it was clear that the only person who really lived here was Bill. Pictures of him and Alice lined the walls, but the house lacked any real decoration. The space was full of plastic plants, little bits of décor without any heart. The entire place felt filled and barren all at the same time. Like a band-aid put on to cover a much bigger wound underneath.

"About last night-" Bill started before Lex sighed.

She was starting to understand why Alice grew anxious in long moments of silence.

"Wasn't my idea to get her involved." Lex stared at him dryly.

"I just want to be clear. Alice is trying very hard to keep her future on track. If you feel like you aren't adequate enough to be taking care of your sister, then you need to be contacting the state. Not my daughter."

Despite mostly feeling at ease earlier, even through Bill's smaller jabs, Lex felt her whole body tense at his words. She grit her teeth, turning away from him as any defense she might have had quickly left.

After all, wasn't that exactly why she was here? There was always something Lex was missing. Something she was doing wrong. Especially when it came to Hannah.

Ethan already lost his life for it.

How long until Alice became just another thing she fucked up?

"Are you serious?"

Bill turned to see his daughter standing at the top of the steps as Lex glanced over lazily, her shoulders still raised to her ears. Raising an eyebrow, she watched as a furious Alice stomped her way down the steps, making sure to stand just slightly in front her.

Putting herself between them.

"Lex is here because I asked her to come over. And you don't know half of what Lex actually does for Hannah. You couldn't even wake yourself up last night when they were both in danger." Alice growled.

"What are you even talking about? Becky Barnes told me last night that you just found Hannah out wandering around. That doesn't sound like Lex was doing a very good job at-"

"Dad, what would you do if I had a panic attack right now?" Alice interrupted sharply, stopping Bill's lecture as she stared him down.

Lex looked over to Bill as she watched the man struggle to find the words he was looking for. Eventually he shook his head, sighing exasperatingly.

"I don't know Alice, what does this even have to do with anything?" He asked, barely getting out his question before Alice turned her attention to Lex.

"What do you do for Hannah when she has her episodes?"

Lex stared at her, recognizing the trap she had laid for her father. Alice was trying to pull attention off the fact that neither of the stories Bill had been told exactly lined up, while also trying to prove a point. Unfortunately, Lex knew it was a point that Bill was already right on.

Alice's eyes softened as Lex sighed, recognizing the same infuriating curiosity that seemed to always be behind them.

She did say she would provide some answers today.

"I make sure to take her hands." Lex said plainly, watching with a bit of irritation as both parties in the room stared at her blankly. Her jaw tightened. "It's usually very overwhelming for her so she'll dig them into her forehead or her legs." She explained further, staring at the floor as she bit her lip.

There were nights where Hannah would bruise her with the strength she gripped onto her hands and wrists. Like she was being actively pulled away by something, terrified of letting go and getting lost.

"She doesn't realize how hard she's doing it." Lex admitted quietly. Taking a breath through her nose she forced herself to look back at Alice. "Besides that, I have her talk through as much of it as she can. Doesn't help to change the subject, so if she's seeing something scary then at least she doesn't have to see it alone."

Alice seemed to relax as Lex felt Bill's eyes on them both. Meeting his eyes, she watched them soften the way Alice's had earlier. Scowling, she pulled up her hood, looking again at the door, vainly hoping that was all Alice wanted to talk about. Almost as if sensing her discomfort, she moved closer, supportively putting a hand on Lex's shoulder.

The moment she did, Bill's stance once again grew protective, his eyes hardening.

"And just who did that for her during the nights you spent in juvie?"

Lex flinched as if she'd been hit, immediately feeling her blood turn to ice. Alice flipped around to glare at her dad, but Lex ignored them both, roughly shrugging off Alice's hand. Taking a stiff step towards the door, she grabbed the handle with white knuckles, finding herself unable to turn it.

"Dad!" Alice scolded sharply.

Lex heard him impatiently sigh.

"He's right." Lex shrugged, not turning around.

"Lex-"

"I won't keep her out too late, Mr. Woodward." Lex continued coldly, "If you're lucky, I'll scare her off exactly like you hope."

Throwing open the door, Lex stepped out into the fresh air. It quickly shut behind her with a slam as she tried to take a few shaky breaths. They came out in steps, hitching annoyingly in her chest.

When she closed her eyes she could still see the faint outlines of healed bruises on Hannah's forehead. She only found the more recent ones on her sister's knees that night.

Her mother had never noticed.

Lex's stomach lurched as she bit her cheek, her hands clenching into fists.

Stumbling away from the house, she felt the anger in her chest twist and lash through her limbs. She found herself standing at the edge of the driveway. Her hand peeled out of her pocket, burying itself into the mailbox next to her. The metal dented as the entire thing jerked forward on its post. The pain in her hand felt like a release, finally freeing herself from the memory as Lex felt her chest unbuckle. She forced herself to take a normal breath, swallowing hard as she looked over at the mailbox and property damage she had just caused.

Lex didn't feel guilty, after all she knew it didn't matter. Bill probably deserved it. Still she felt a bit of relief as she realized the front hinge wasn't damaged. The door itself would still function mostly the same-

Across the street, Lex spotted an open window. She watched it carefully, looking for any movement inside. To see if anyone saw her. On instinct, Lex pulled her hood down further, covering her face as she turned her back to the street, facing the house once more. Alice emerged shortly after, slamming the door behind her in a similar way to Lex.

"Bout time. Let's get the fuck out of here." Lex growled as soon as Alice looked up at her.

The girl's eyes flicked worriedly towards the mailbox as Lex turned on her heel, walking down the road without checking to see if she would follow. It was better to get away sooner rather than later. The neighborhood she was in was nice. Upper class.

Lex knew she didn't belong. Knew someone was bound to make a call, whether they saw it happen or not.

It would be better if they both weren't around when they did.

***

"So... it's just always open?" Alice asked quietly as they walked through the empty hallways of Hatchetfield High.

"Lock's broken. Everyone who knows about it keeps their mouth shut." Lex shrugged, referring to the window in the 10th grade hallway that they had used to sneak in.

"And you wanted to go back to school, because?"

Lex listened to the echo of her boots bounce down the hallway, taking in the fact that even in the year she had been gone, nothing about the school had changed. The same graffiti still lined the lockers, the same types of posters hung in the halls.

"If you were looking for me, would you check here?" She answered plainly.

It was almost natural that she ended up walking them to shop class. The door was shut, but Lex knew that Mr. Houston never kept it locked. She roughly pushed into the room as she reached over and flicked on the light, the bright fluorescents flooding into the room as they illuminated a familiar layout. She was faintly aware of Alice strolling in behind her, carefully looking over the saws and power equipment that lined the walls of the room. Lex's own eyes fell to the radio placed on a familiar shelf, right above Mr. Houston's desk.

The shelf itself was still full of his favorite pens and personal tools.

Walking over, she reached up and flicked it on, finding it still on exactly the same station she left it. There was dust under her fingertips as she pulled them back. Setting the volume low, Lex slid into the chair at the front of the class, kicking her feet up on the desk in the same way she used to.

Alice was slowly working her way closer, her eyes lingering on piles of sawdust that swirled in low clouds as she walked past them.

"Never took shop before?" Lex asked dryly.

"My dad was always afraid I'd cut off a finger." Alice shrugged, turning back to the shelf by Lex, her eyes falling on the radio there.

Lex could see the recognition on her face as the song switched to one they played frequently. Alice gave a small smile, moving to sit on top of the desk, pulling one knee up to her chest and turning so she half-faced Lex.

"Sorry about him, by the way." She shook her head irritably. "I should've seen that coming."

"It's whatever." Lex scowled, not missing the way Alice seemed to stare at her in concern. "I'm sure my juvie record is just another thing to add to your list of questions."

"And just how many of those do you plan on actually answering?"

Lex shrugged as she grabbed a scoring knife laying on the desk, plucking her legs off the desk. Bending down, she entertained her curiosity, sticking the blade into the slit of the locked bottom drawer, pulling sideways as she felt the latch give. It popped open the way it always did. Pulling it further open, Lex peered inside the drawer, looking to see if the contents within had changed.

Lex pulled out the same crisp picture of Tom, his wife Jane, and Tim from when he was about 5 years old. She looked at it with a small smile before setting it off to the side, taking note of the cheap looking dagger and the weathered papers she was already familiar with. Buried at the bottom of the drawer, half hidden by a loose sheet of paper, there was something else.

Something that hadn't been there before.

Alice leaned over, trying to see what had Lex's attention before she roughly kicked the drawer back shut. She didn't bother flicking the latch back. Her fingers irritably twisted the knife around in her hand as she stared at Alice expectantly.

Alice found a chip in the desk to pick at, her expression thoughtful.

"How long were you in juvie?" She asked after a moment.

"Two weeks." Lex answered stiffly. "Had someone argue for me to be released early. I was supposed to be there for 6 months. I imagine people like your dad are still bitter about it."

"What'd you even do?" Her next question came quicker.

"Set fire to a bus."

"A bus?"

"Yeah." Lex responded plainly, knowing that wasn't the point of Alice's clarification.

"So… what happened last night?" Alice took the hint, thinking for just a moment before she met Lex's eyes. "I mean what really happened?"

"You're going to have to be more specific than that." Lex smiled dryly, watching Alice scowl.

"Ok. Then let's start at the fact that you and Hannah both said you were attacked." Alice clarified, her eyes narrowing at Lex's collarbone, where she had revealed the bruise the night before.

Sighing, Lex stopped her fidgeting as she set the knife down, staring at it.

"It was a man who was in the mall, on Friday. Me and Hannah both recognized him. This time he was waiting in the forest."

"Is he part of the same people who were looking for you? I thought the government had already arrested everyone involved in the cult-"

"He's not a part of the cult." Lex corrected quietly.

She felt Alice staring at her, felt her studying every reaction. Lex thought back to what she had found out earlier. What the general had told her, what Webby had too, before she disappeared.

"The cult formed because apparently they wanted to bring their god into our world. The one behind the dolls and the mania." Lex said, choosing her words carefully. "The guy who attacked us works directly for Wiggly."

Alice met her eyes. There was a flicker of doubt and a familiar anxiety in her expression that put Lex at ease to see. What she was saying sounded crazy. It was supposed to be impossible.

"Right." Alice nodded after a moment, her jaw tightening. "So he's worse?"

Lex remembered the feeling of Cross's ribs cracking. The blood that sprayed from his mouth as he didn't even flinch. The click of the gun as he pressed down the trigger without hesitation-

"Worse." She confirmed quickly.

"And he's pissed at you too?"

"He is. His god is more worried about what I can do apparently."

Alice looked at her critically as the anxiety and doubt faded from her eyes.

"So what can you do?"

It was a question she expected. Of course Alice would want to know. She had seen the same impossible things Lex did last night. She had seen Hannah appear in her room.

Biting her cheek, Lex sighed. She closed her eyes, grimacing as she realized it would be easier to just show her.

She remembered the small object in the desk below her. Remembered the assignment Mr. Houston had given. Her final project. It was supposed to be an expression of what they had learned, Mr. Houston had told her to make anything she wanted, confident that she would be getting an A either way.

He had never shown back up to class to grade it.

Lex reached forward, feeling the complicated woodwork she had done, remembered the balance she had taken care to put into it. The familiar weight settled into her hand like second nature. Peeling her eyes back open, both her and Alice were greeted with the same wooden spider that had been in the locked drawer only seconds before.

She set it between them.

"I remember, when I was younger, I used to play this game." Lex explained quietly. "I'd close my eyes and try and 'find' something. When I opened them, I'd have found it. It was always something small and stupid. Something I knew was in my room or the trailer in general. Back then I thought it was magic. When I got older and Hannah came around, I knew it was probably just me walking around with my eyes closed."

Alice gingerly picked up her final project, twisting the key on the abdomen several times before letting it go, watching as all 8 legs began to move up in down in a skittering motion.

Lex's mouth dried, knowing the 'game' had originally been Webby's suggestion.

Alice let the clockwork mechanism run through before setting the spider back down on the desk.

"I knew I saw that gun just appear in your pocket..." She said quietly, almost to herself.

Lex knew what she was referring to. Remembered pulling it out that last day in the safehouse. Remembered doing the same thing to kill Sherman.

"Last night you said you didn't know how you sent Hannah away-"

"Because I don't." Lex growled shortly. "That shit is all new. I was freaking out because the guy kept saying he wanted me and my sister and then he fucking disappeared when I shot at him. I pushed Hannah away so she could get somewhere safe and she ended up at your house. Across town."

Alice was quiet, her expression thoughtful as her head fell to rest against her knee. Her eyes were on the desk. On Lex's project.

"So, to clarify," Alice started quietly, still not looking at her. "I'm somewhere safe to you?"

Lex felt her shoulders drop, the tension she didn't realize she had been carrying finally easing. After a few moments, she let out a stiff laugh.

"If that's how this works, then at least she can't end up with our mother." Lex breathed, leaning back as she stared up into the ceiling.

The music from the radio filled in the silence between them. Lex took a deep breath, reaching forward to grab the spider off the desk and tossing it back into the drawer it came from. She stared at the rest of Tom's items, bitterly wondering why he had even bothered to keep it.

"What I can do, it isn't what they want." Lex explained in the quiet, feeling the truth of her words hang in the air between them. "They just want me out of the way."

Alice adjusted quietly, her leg dropping off the desk as she turned and faced the opposite wall.

"You said they wanted Hannah too."

Lex hummed in confirmation, not trusting herself to speak as she closed the drawer. Her hand found the scoring knife she had used before and reached down to flick the latch back.

"Last night, one of the first things she told me was that he had your gun. But-"

"But I pushed her away before he grabbed it from me." Lex finished for her, sitting back up as she tossed the knife onto the desk.

"She was able to get us back to Becky and Tom's house, no map, no nothing. It was like she could see the turns in her head." Alice continued, her head twisting slightly as she turned to look back at Lex.

"Yeah but she also saw me get shot." Lex argued, knowing where Alice was going. It was a thought she had herself, one that had been turning over and over in her head since realizing that somehow Webby did exist.

Since realizing her own powers hadn't been a game.

"Sure he tried, but the gun never went off." Lex shrugged.

"Maybe we should talk about that too. Because that's twice now someone's come close to actually just straight killing you-"

"No." Lex growled, stopping Alice from continuing.

After a moment, Alice shook her head looking up at the ceiling in resignation.

"Ok. So you have weird teleportation magic-"

"Which is impossible."

"And your sister sees things that happen or could happen, which is also impossible." Alice continued, purposefully pushing past Lex's interruption. "Plus there is a fucked up god that wants you out of the way and is sending some creep to get your sister."

"Gods." Lex clarified, setting her face in her hands as she felt how exhausted she was.

"What?"

She could feel Alice's eyes on her as she sighed and rolled her eyes. Webby had warned her about her brothers. Macnamara as well.

"Apparently there are multiple."

Alice sighed.

"So, multiple 'gods' want you dead and want Hannah for whatever reason." She summarized as Lex watched her jump down from the desk. She could see the panic behind her shoulders, feeling a sliver of guilt.

Alice turned to her sharply, swallowing down her own fear as she took a deep breath.

"Anything else I should know?"

Her voice cracked just slightly.

Lex wondered what might finally get her to snap.

"Webby's real too." She shrugged, watching Alice all but freeze as her eyes widened.

Maybe Bill might get his wish after all.

Alice backed up slowly, her hand reaching behind her to grab at a spare chair, pulling it out with a loud screech as she sat down. Her elbows fell on the desk in front of her, folding her hands in front of her nose as she closed her eyes.

The radio crackled as the song changed. Unwillingly, Lex thought back to Ethan's stereo. The scratches that had been on her arms after. The way her sister's ukelele had turned black. She thought back to the tracks they saw, the gallows that had just appeared.

The guilt that had appeared earlier still rose eagerly in her chest as she watched Alice take a few more steadying breaths.

Lex wasn't too surprised that she had believed her so far, Alice had seen the same things she did last night. The same, unbelievable, things. That wasn't what made this different. Becky and Tom had seen things too, but Lex knew she wouldn't tell them anything she didn't have to.

Alice had become something more than just a stranger she had been sharing a room with. She already knew that Hannah trusted her, and, much to her annoyance, Lex found she shared the sentiment.

Alice's eyes opened, her arms dropping back on the desk.

"Did you ever hear that old scary story that they hung a witch in those woods a long long time ago?"

Lex breathed out her nose in a short laugh, shaking her head.

"Sure, but don't all 'scary' woods have a stupid story like that?" She asked sarcastically. "I'm pretty sure I heard someone say there's an axe-man that roams the forest, killing any horny kid that tries to do shit there."

"Ok, but we didn't see an axe-man last night. We saw a platform with a noose. And it disappeared as soon as we started driving away from it."

"Fair enough." Lex conceded with a sigh, before a thought occurred to her.

Opening up the top drawer of the desk she quickly pulled out a beat up looking notebook, flipping to the first blank page. Standing up Lex plucked a pen from the shelf as she flicked off the radio. In the silence left behind she scribbled out a quick note, ripping the page from the notebook as she tossed everything back into the desk and stood up. Folding the note in half, Lex gestured for Alice to follow her as they made their way out of shop class and back into the hallways.

"Where's Chasity's locker?" Lex asked, turning them back towards the 9th grade wing of the school.

"Why?" Alice asked suspiciously, moving forward to glare at Lex.

"Because nobody is nearly as invested in the weird history of this town as that little freak. If anyone is going to know about gods or witches or bodies buried in this town, it's Grace." Lex summarized, looking up and down the lockers for the telltale signs of one preachy little Christian.

Despite her protests, it was Alice who spotted it first. Walking up to the locker with a pink framed picture of the cross taped to the front of it, Lex slipped the note into it with a smirk.

Shoving her hands into her pockets, she turned to her accomplice.

"I told you we'd talk about things, but if you want actual answers she's our best bet." Lex said, tilting her head back towards Grace's locker.

"You two being friends is so weird." Alice shook her head as Lex scowled.

"'Friend' is a strong word."

"If friend is a strong word for Grace, then what does that make us?" Alice asked quickly, her eyebrow raising curiously.

"Unfortunate acquaintances." Lex shrugged, watching with annoyance as a mischievous glint shined in Alice's eyes.

"Aw, and here I thought mean ole Lex Foster was finally warming up to me."

"Don't you need to be getting home? So your dad doesn't have any more ammunition to harass me?" Lex growled, moving to leave.

"You know, you never did give me that kiss goodbye you told him about." She teased as Lex walked past her.

"Yeah, and you aren't getting one either." Lex shot back. "I don't need anyone else trying to kill me."

Alice laughed as she followed Lex through the school and towards the exit.

"What time are we meeting her then?" She asked genuinely.

"Sometime after school. For Grace, that means right after the final bell rings."

"You really want to come back here while everyone's still just... hanging around?"

Lex ignored the concern in her voice as she pushed out the back doors of the school, the ones that lead straight out to the football field.

"Fuck no. I told her to meet us at the library. Nobody's going to be there." Lex admitted, looking up at the sky as she realized just how late it was getting.

"Us?"

"Didn't you just ask what time we're meeting her?" Lex taunted, knowing what Alice was looking for.

She frowned, looking over at Lex as she turned something over in her mind.

"Have you ever told anyone, any of this?" Alice asked tentatively.

"Who would I tell?" Lex countered. "Up until 2 weeks ago, it was all made-up games and imaginary friends to me."

"And now it's turned into at least one death scare a week."

"That we still aren't talking about."

Alice scowled as she took a step closer, gauging Lex's reaction. Lex didn't understand what she was searching for. Maybe she was finally trying to see if she had truly lost it or not. Trying to see if all the stress from the last couple of days had made her crack.

In a way, Lex felt like she had.

"Don't elbow me." Alice warned before she lunged forward.

Before Lex could react, the girl had her arms around her, wrapping her tightly in a hug. Lex's arms instinctively wrapped around her lower back, her chin falling into the crook of her neck. She froze in the embrace as her mind raced. She was more than used to everyone in her life giving her distance. Alice, whether on purpose or on accident, had constantly tested Lex's boundaries.

It was getting harder and harder to figure out where those boundaries even stood.

"You're somewhere safe for me too." Alice whispered before awkwardly untangling herself from the embrace. Nervously, she tucked her hair behind her ear as she pulled out her phone and cleared her throat. "But it's uh, pretty late. Did you want a ride home?"

Lex stared at her, the warmth from the embrace still lingering on her skin. Shaking her head quickly, Lex pulled her hood up before shoving her hands into her jacket pockets.

"Probably best for your dad's heart if I didn't go back there. I'm sure he's pissed about the mailbox." Lex spoke quickly, pointedly looking at the field instead of at Alice.

"Maybe he'll learn to watch what he says." Alice said defensively.

"Or maybe he'll say the right thing to finally scare you away." Lex suggested instead.

Neither of them moved.

"You going to juvie isn't that scary. Half of Deb's friends have been in and out of trouble like that before." Alice pointed out.

"That wasn't his point." Lex shrugged.

"What?"

"He wasn't trying to scare you by pointing that out." Lex explained bitterly, feeling Alice's eyes on her. They both knew that wouldn't be enough of an explanation.

"It wasn't just the 2 weeks I was in prison. They picked me up in the middle of the night. Which meant they couldn't process me until the next day. Nobody bothered to tell me what they were waiting for. If I'd known, I'd have told them not to waste their time trying to get ahold of my mom." Lex sighed, her eyes rolling. "They fucked around until everyone left at 5pm, so that was another day. The trial itself took almost an entire week."

Her hand clenched tightly in the pocket of her jacket, her dull nails digging into the skin of her palm.

"Had a social worker come visit me on the day I was transferred to the prison. He said he had been talking to Hannah. Told me she told him all about how I was the one who took care of her, and how little our mother was around. She asked him when I was coming home." Lex's voice cracked as she stared down at the turf underneath her feet.

"I was gone for almost a whole month. Left her alone with my mom for a whole month. That was what your dad wanted to point out." Lex concluded, her chest feeling tight. The cold air had eagerly rushed to take away any warmth she might have felt earlier.

"Lex, I'm-"

"Don't." Lex waved her hand quickly, stopping the words she already knew Alice was going to say. She looked again at the rapidly setting sun. "Since it is 'us' now, you can just make sure Grace sees that note. The sooner we get some answers, the better."

Alice nodded.

"Ok." She agreed, watching Lex carefully.

Sighing, Lex moved to leave, taking a step forward as she closed her eyes and felt the exhaustion from the night before set in. Suddenly, there was a hand around her back and an arm linked in hers.

She didn't remember losing her balance.

"Ok, I live 5 minutes away and you live like 30." Alice scolded her. "Fuck whatever my dad thinks, I'm at least driving you home."

Blinking, Lex didn't fight as she was guided towards the sidewalk and they began the walk back to Alice's house. When they got to the driveway, she finally stopped, snapping out of her haze as her eyes landed on the half crumpled mailbox.

It looked like shit.

Alice's eyes followed hers, before she gently dug an elbow into Lex's side.

"Don't run off." She said sternly, moving to head inside.

Lex watched her go with a raised eyebrow, checking around their surroundings carefully. The sun had begun to set, and most every window had their blinds pulled for the day. Rubbing her face in an attempt to wake up, Lex made her way to the side of the van, leaning against the door as she watched Alice run out the front door once more.

With a click of the locks in the van, Lex recognized the rush as she quickly climbed inside, joined by Alice shortly after. Back in the doorway, Bill appeared, looking distraught as he caught sight of Lex in the passenger seat.

Alice turned on the car, throwing it in reverse as she took a moment to check behind them. Lex looked between Alice and Bill as the man quickly stumbled out of the door and down the steps. Before she had a chance to ask what was taking her so long, Alice finally let go of the brake. Rolling down the driveway, she deliberately twisted the wheel at the last second, the van's back end rolling straight into the mailbox as it crunched and jerked forward on its post. Looking over to Lex with a smirk, Alice pulled forward just enough to expertly twist out of the way of the wreckage and get them smoothly onto the road.

As they drove away, Bill stood over his destroyed mailbox with wide eyes.

"Oops." Alice shrugged, watching her dad out of the rearview mirror.

Her eyes caught with Lex's as she smiled.

Lex started to laugh. It was more than the stiff chuckle she would normally give. This time her entire chest rumbled with laughter. She felt Alice's eyes watching her for a moment before she quickly joined in with her own laughter.

"He's exactly right you know. I am becoming a bad influence on you." Lex chuckled, catching her breath as she leaned back in her seat.

"Well, maybe he'll learn to keep his mouth shut next time." Alice shot back with a light laugh.

"Whatever you say, princess. Just remind me not to get on your bad side." Lex shook her head, too sleepy to notice the blush that appeared on Alice's face as she did.

***

Hannah held out her hand as she closed her eyes. Waiting.

"What are you doing?"

Tim's voice startled her as she jumped and closed her fist, dropping it to her side more harshly then she meant to. Wincing, she opened her eyes and stared at him.

The truth was on the tip of her tongue, but still Hannah bit it back. It had never done her any favors. Just isolated her further.

"Nothing." She lied. Badly.

Tim stared at her in concern. It wasn't mocking. Or, Hannah didn't think it was. She hoped it wasn't. Still, she knew she wasn't a good liar. Webby had always said that was a good thing. That the world would be a better place if people lied less.

Lexi lied often.

Hannah knew her sister was good at it. Most days. It wasn't like when her mother lied, or the bullies at school. Lex didn't lie to her, and her most harmful lies were always the ones she told herself.

"Ok." Tim said after a moment, nodding with a warm smile. "Did you want to play Fortnite with me?"

Hannah felt herself start to smile, her head moving on its own before she stopped. Blinking, she tilted her head.

"Lexi will be home soon."

Tim's eyes lit up and this time Hannah knew why. When they were able to make her play with them before, Lex carried them to victory 3 times in a row. She had done so much better than Tom did on any of his attempts.

"Think she'll play with us again?" Tim asked excitedly.

Before Hannah could answer, they heard the sound of a car pulling up the gravel drive. Exchanging a quick glance, both kids rushed to the window, peering out the blinds as they saw Alice Woodward's van pull up into the yard.

Hannah's eyes fell to her sister in the passenger seat. Her face rested against the window, her eyes closed. She had a smile on her face.

It had been awhile since Hannah had seen Lex fall asleep with a smile.

It was from before they had lost Ethan.

Looking down at the small desk next to her, Hannah frowned. On it, connected to its large cord, was Lex's laptop. The same one she had been pouring over for the last several days, growing more and more distraught as she was unable to find a new job.

She turned to Tim.

"You should get it ready. We can ask her to watch." She suggested as Tim nodded, bouncing out of the room as he yelled something about seeing if Alice wanted to play too.

Hannah turned back to the window, her eyes on Alice as she put the van into park. She was smiling as she watched Lex sleep, seeming unwilling to wake her. To Hannah, Alice's expression looked familiar.

Dropping the blind she had been looking out of, Hannah quickly made her way down the stairs and out of the house. As she got out into the front yard, Lex was slowly getting out of the van, her eyes still half-lidded as she grimaced and caught sight of her sister running towards them.

"Where the fuck is your coat?!" She asked disapprovingly as she wrapped an arm around Hannah in a half hug.

Hannah looked up at her with an apologetic smile and immediately Lex's eyes lost their sharpness as her arm curled tighter around her back.

"I didn't want to miss Alice." Hannah explained as the girl in question stepped around the front of the car to join the sisters. "Tim wants to know if you'll play Fortnite with us."

Alice's eyes widened quickly before her face shifted into an amused smile.

"Sorry Hannah," She apologized kindly, making sure to turn and smile at her. "I'll have to pass tonight. I should really be getting home."

Beside her, Lex tensed, looking up at the rapidly setting sun. Hannah wasn't the only one to notice her hesitance.

"I'll be fine, Lex." Alice said softly, drawing Lex's attention back. They exchanged some sort of silent conversation before Alice sighed, turning to Hannah. In her eyes was a glint of knowledge.

"Hannah, you know I'll be fine, right? Will you please tell your sister that I'll get home safely?"

Hannah stared at her for a moment as she felt Lex turn to look at her. Nobody had ever asked her to look for anything before. Nobody but Webby.

Closing her eyes, Hannah dipped below the surface of her mind. She held her breath as she tried to find the right thread, her hand moving to wrap itself into Lex's jacket as she did. Webby had normally walked her through this. She focused on the feeling of Lex's warm hand on her back as she pulled-

"Your dad's not going to be mad about the mailbox." Hannah frowned, pulling herself above the wave of possibilities as she blinked herself back into the present. Her eyes flicked to Lex's hand as she noticed the slight bruising around her sister's knuckles.

If Alice was surprised, she didn't show it. Her eyes sparkled with just a bit of pride as she turned to grin at Lex.

"See? Fine."

Lex's arm tightened on her back as she swallowed. In the silence of the evening, Hannah could almost hear how loudly her heart was beating. Still, Lex turned to her sister and smiled, the smallest hint of pride mixed in with the fear in her eyes.

"I'll see you tomorrow Lex." Alice said gently, reaching forward and gently grabbing Lex's arm and giving it a small squeeze.

Lex watched her with wide eyes, Alice hesitating for just a moment before moving to climb back into the van. Lex watched her leave, checking quickly to the woods before her body finally lost its tension.

"Alright. Inside with you." She said stiffly, turning Hannah to start walking towards the house. "And next time, you grab your jacket if you're coming outside in the middle of fucking winter."

"It's not even that cold." Hannah defended herself while she shivered.

Lex scoffed, pulling Hannah inside her jacket as she made sure to block the worst of the wind with her body.

Inside the house they were immediately greeted by Tim, eagerly holding up a spare controller for Hannah with a wide grin. It didn't take much to get Lex to agree to watch, successfully keeping her away from her laptop for at least one more night. Her older sister slid onto the couch as Hannah worked with Tim to pull up the game and get it ready. As soon as Hannah wandered close enough, Lex suddenly wrapped her arms around her, the trap activating as pulled Hannah into her lap and twisted them both to sit sideway on the couch. Her back fell against the armrest as her arms fell around her sister's waist, knowing Hannah wouldn't be able to go anywhere.

Not that she wanted to anyways.

The match started up simply, with Lex chuckling at one of the usernames of another player in the lobby. She refused to explain why, even despite Tim and Hannah's pestering. All she said was that she would officially disown them both if they were killed by someone with the name: milfmanor

Hannah wasn't sure exactly when her sister fell asleep, but when they both came across milfmanor's stuff later on in the match and didn't hear any chuckle or comment, both kids exchanged a glance.

They didn't need words to work as a team.

Tom visited them first, sitting on the other armrest as he wrapped an arm around Tim's shoulder, pointing out weapon or chests that the kids missed as they picked their way through the map. Hannah didn't miss the way his eyes would frequently flick over to check on Lex as the night went on.

When Becky finally came home, everyone jumped to make sure she was quiet, stopping her warm greeting short as they gestured to the sleeping teen. The nurse's eyes widened before smiling, understanding immediately what was happening. She picked her way quietly over to where Tom was sitting, sliding down to the floor as she rested her back against the base of the couch. The first game stopped as Hannah fell to an unseen sniper, trying to cover Tim when he went to heal.

As Tim loaded them into a new round Hannah took a moment to really look around her, no longer feeling the pressure to focus on the game that she did before. Tom and Becky were talking quietly to each other as Tim excitedly whispered about how good he was getting. He was eagerly suggesting new strategies for Hannah and him to try next round. Things that Lex had taught them both.

There was no smell of alcohol that made her nose burn and her head ache. There was no pressure of waiting for someone to come barging in to ruin the moment. Either her mother yelling at Lex, or whichever boyfriend of the week she had staying over coming in without knocking to ask where the bathroom was or where their mother kept the 'booze'. Lex slept behind her, her breathing steady and calm, the way it was when she would take Hannah with her to spend the night at Ethan's. The nights when Lex knew the trailer was going to be too loud, too hostile, a result she would inevitably blame herself for in the end.

Lex always took the blame in the trailer. Made sure it never once came down to Hannah.

The living room was quiet in a way Hannah hadn't experienced silence before. While living in the trailer, silence was usually broken with loud crashing or cursing. This was a comfortable quiet. She knew that even if it somehow got broken, that Lex wouldn't have to be the one to run off and fix it.

While Lex's arms around her was familiar, everything else seemed strange and new.

Tim turned to her with a smile as she saw that they were now waiting in a new lobby, the timer ticking down to begin the next match. Tom and Becky excused themselves to the kitchen, checking with both kids to make sure they didn't need anything while they were up. She heard Tom mumble something about being unsure if Lex had eaten anything as Becky suggested they leave something in the fridge.

When the night was over and Tim's yawns became more and more frequent, Tom was the one to call it a night. He helped Tim up to bed as Becky disappeared to grab something upstairs. When she came back down, she had a spare blanket and Dusty.

She whispered a quick goodnight to both girls as Tom came down to make sure Hannah would be ok staying downstairs with Lex for the night. He offered to bring them both back up to their room, but Hannah shook her head. Neither her nor Lex were strangers to crashing on a couch for a night. He threw the blanket over the girls, turning off the TV and the lights but making sure to leave the kitchen light on.

Just in case.

Chapter Text

For what was supposed to be the quietest place in Hatchetfield, the library was often quite loud. The few people who actually used it to study were the local nerds, who spent just as much time arguing as they did actually studying. She moved past 3 kids she recognized from Grace's class, ignoring the eyes on her as she didn't move to take her normal seat in the back. Instead she slumped into a chair at a table in the middle of the room, setting her head down on her arms as her eyes closed.

"Psssssssst. Pete." One of the nerds whispered almost comically loud. "Didn't your brother tell us that Lex died or whatever? What she doing here?"

"Fuck if I know." The one named Pete hissed back. "Only time Ted talks about the riots is when he's bitching about being blue-balled in that house they all stayed in."

"At least he had the chance of getting action. At this rate I'm going to be a senior before anyone-"

"Ruth!" Pete hissed loudly before his voice dropped. "Come on, she looks like she's meeting someone." He actually managed to whisper it, with Lex only barely able to make out the names Max and Brad.

It made sense why they would fear the people she usually brought with her, knowing that Ethan used to be one those names the nerds whispered in dread.

She peeked an eye open, watching the group of 3 shuffle behind the shelves and further into the building. Getting as far away from her as they could. Lex smirked as she watched them leave. Despite being missing for a year, at least her reputation seemed to still be intact. She hoped that meant by next year those same bullies the nerds feared might leave Hannah alone.

Not that had ever seemed to protect her from harassment before.

With a sigh, Lex settled more comfortably onto her arms, her eyes flicking to the clock as she remembered the conversation she had that morning. Hannah seemed more then ok with the thought that Becky could pick them up from school instead of her. The nurse's face had lit up when she asked her for the favor.

A small smile grew on her face as she remembered the way Tom had tensed, pulling her aside as he asked if everything was ok. He knew exactly how out of character it was for her to not be there to pick up Hannah.

Her eyes closed again before eventually she heard the sound of footsteps approaching.

"So, she's always going on about how 'holy' it is to be on time and keep commitments and she's the one who's late?"

Lex watched Alice irritably toss her backpack onto the desk. The new arrival stared down at her, expecting an answer.

"At least that doesn't make us the sinners this time." Lex shrugged.

"Fuck you." Alice growled, roughly sliding into the seat next to her.

"Language." Lex chastised with a smirk.

Alice's glare was sharp as Lex chuckled, sitting up as she looked over again at the clock on the wall. It hadn't moved by much, but she found herself wondering if Hannah had made it home yet.

Next to her, Alice pulled out her phone, sending a quick message before placing it face down on the table. Her leg began to bounce as she looked around them. They could both hear the nerds chattering loudly behind several bookshelves, arguing about a recent episode of whatever show they were watching.

Sighing, Lex turned in her chair, leaning her back against Alice's side. Her entire body felt tense, her leg only just barely slowing even with the added weight. Something had her on edge and as much as she knew people normally dreaded meeting with Grace, Lex knew that was only part of it.

"Rough day?"

A shaky breath answered her question. Some of the tension slowly fell away.

"It's fine."

"Liar." Lex called out plainly.

A small smile formed on her face as she felt Alice's leg finally settle. After a moment, Lex felt her take a deep breath.

"Had a presentation today. On a project we started back when me and Deb were together." Alice admitted quietly, her body leaning into Lex's. "Everyone was whispering the entire day. Apparently because we can still talk to each other just fine, Deb either has to be cheating on Ziggy now or I'm just the weird, pity third of their relationship."

Lex blinked, taking a moment to process the situation.

"Damn, I wonder how many people in poly couples worry they're the pity third..." Lex mused. "It's gotta be like, more than half, right?"

Alice blew air out her nose in a short laugh.

"I just don't think that's how those types of relationships work."

"So... what? You're just irritated that everyone's gossiping about you now?" Lex asked plainly.

"It's not that." Alice answered quickly.

Lex waited, knowing Alice was simply struggling with her own voice being heard. She wasn't interested in the short simple answer though, that's not why she asked. Her eyes closed again as she allowed herself to fall further into Alice's body.

It wasn't like she was eager to be left alone with her own thoughts either.

"I don't even know how I'm supposed to feel about the whole thing." Alice admitted quietly after a moment. "It's annoying hearing everyone else's opinions when they don't even know me."

"Don't listen to them." A familiar voice said plainly.

Alice immediately tensed.

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." Grace Chasity quoted, her hands gripping tightly to the straps of her backpack as her chest puffed out. "I for one, am glad you two have separated."

Lex looked up at Alice lazily, taking in her annoyed expression.

"Why? Because we're gay?" Her eyes narrowed.

Grace met the glare evenly, unaffected.

"Because Deb is going down the path of sin. Her drug habits are just part of that. According to your dad, she hasn't ever been to church! You might not show up as much as you should, but any appearance before the Lord is noticed! She needs help, and without her influence you will be better off."

Lex sniffed, feeling Alice growl beneath her. Behind them the nerds had gone uncharacteristically quiet. It wasn't a stretch to imagine them leaning over each other, peering through the shelves trying to figure out just what drama was about to unfold.

At least she could always count on Grace to come in too hot.

"I personally could not care less about whether or not Deb is going to hell." Lex rolled her eyes, sitting up as she crossed her arms on the table and stared at Grace. "It's not like you to be late."

"I had to run home and grab a few things." Grace answered, her chin held up as she swung her backpack off.

Right away Lex knew it was different then the small pink one she usually wore. This one was a familiar light blue, with deeper pockets. It was usually what she packed for overnight babysitting trips. As Lex took a closer look at it she noticed it had been ripped since she had last seen it, a dark smudge of dust running down the side.

It wasn't like Grace to let her stuff get that dirty.

Pages spilled out of the bag and onto the table as Grace tossed it in front of them with a wide smile.

Lex reached forward, picking up a stack of what looked like old building plans, her eyes looking over to Alice as she grabbed a handful herself, staring down at them with a furrowed brow.

"What is this?" Lex shook her head, thumbing through the pages in her hands.

"Plans for the old Waylon house." Grace smiled smugly, pulling out a chair as she sat down with her back perfectly straight. "Your note mentioned wanting to talk about the town's history. I figured there was no better place to start then with the family that built half of it!"

Almost as if struck by an idea, Grace pulled the torn slip of paper from her pocket, sliding it across the table to Lex. Looking down at it, she noticed the grammar had been corrected with a sparkly, red pen.

"You spelled library wrong by the way. Forgot to put in the r after the b."

Alice looked down at it as she held a hand up to cover her laugh, looking sheepishly at Lex before burying her face back into the plans.

Ignoring both of them, Lex looked at the topmost sheet in the stack she had grabbed. The writing was old, the ink having been faded where there were creases in the paper. The blueprints she was looking at seemed to be plans for a kitchen area, with perfectly straight lines outlining countertops and cabinets. At the topmost corner of the page there was spill of ink, half covering up a small drawing of what looked to be a large mouth with prominent teeth.

Flipping to the next page, Lex saw a similar drawing at the top of it. The room was different, and the symbol changed as well. This time there wasn't any ink spill, the drawing actual somehow looked newer then the diagrams underneath it. Like someone had recently gone over it with a pen. The design itself was much more complicated, a square box with spiraling patterns that seemed to shift and change the longer she stared at it.

Lex quickly moved through the other blueprints in her hands. Not every page had a symbol. Some were blank, boring diagrams, simple plans of various rooms in the home. She found just one more as she flipped through the rest of what she had grabbed; a stone-looking mask with liquid dripping from the mouth and eyes.

A shiver ran down her spine as when she stared at it, she could've sworn she heard a faint humming in her head.

Alice held up the sheet she was looking at, tilting it in Lex's direction, thankfully drawing her attention away from the mask. She was met with a singular intense looking eye as it watched her from the top of the page.

Grace was staring at them both expectantly.

"Where'd you get these?" Lex asked, her voice low as she dropped the plans, letting them spread back out on the table.

Something else caught her eye.

Sweeping aside the other blueprints and contracts, Lex roughly grabbed at a sheet half buried by the backpack still laying open on the table.

"My dad's been trying to sell the old Waylon place since forever." Grace shrugged.

She felt Alice lean over her shoulder as they both looked over what looked to be an old art piece, the edges burnt, the paper yellowed with age. The paper it was drawn on was thicker, the texture rough and uncomfortable underneath Lex's fingertips. Even the ink seemed different as the light caught it from different angles, the heavy linework looking almost copper in color. The drawing itself depicted a pentagram with one side elongated to a severe point. There were figures standing at the head of each side, all draped in long black cloaks. From the center, familiar tentacles rose and lashed, fighting their way into the world.

Lex's mouth dried.

Alice reached forward next to her, unburying a similar looking page, yellowed with age with the same coppery colored ink.

"Not all of these are building plans though..." She pointed out quietly.

The page Alice was holding depicted a very sinister looking knife. Ink covered the page as every inch of the knife and it's details were shaded to be as dark as possible. It looked like the blade itself was dripping, tearing into the fabric of the page, breaking it's confinement-

"It's not breaking and entering if you have the keys." Grace smirked, as Lex tore her eyes away.

"It absolutely is." Lex snapped, glaring at Grace as her confidence seemed to waver. "That building is falling apart."

In response, Grace grabbed the pages both Alice and Lex were holding, looking them over carefully.

"Look, your note said you needed to talk about the 'weird' parts of the town history. What's weirder then these creepy old drawings that I found inside the house?!" Grace pointed out, her eyes drawn to the pentagram. "The human sacrifices, demonic rituals-"

"Those are all ghost stories." Alice dismissed, shaking her head.

Neither Grace or Lex missed the way her voice cracked.

"Give me that." Lex snatched the pages back out of Grace's hand, shuffling the sheets to take a closer look at knife. "Was there anything else you found? Any other drawings, or whatever?"

Grace shook her head quickly.

"That's the weird part. I found these tucked away behind a painting that had fallen. But the space I got them from was big. Bigger then what you would need for just some papers. I think something was missing."

"Of course it can't be that fucking simple." Lex grumbled, rolling her eyes as she looked down at all the plans in front of her.

She could feel Alice's eyes on her. Could feel Grace's disapproval, not realizing the last thing Lex was concerned about was her own coarse language.

"Tell me about the Waylons."

Grace's eyes lit up, the way they often did when reciting a bible passage. Or the latest murder trial she was following.

"They were wealthy, like super wealthy. And eccentric. They built a lot of Hatchetfield's most well-known landmarks. Like the old school house that became Hatchetfield High. The Gazette. Lakeside Mall even used to be an old lumber mill that stood for decades, they built that too. They took this place from a back-water logging town to an actual functional city. All so they could be free to indulge in their more eclectic interests."

"Murders and rituals?" Lex asked dryly.

"Exactly!" Grace confirmed with a little too much excitement.

Lex rubbed her face. Lakeside had burned down, not that there was any place in it that she hadn't explored over the course of her breaks. The Gazette had been replaced with the CCRP building years ago and if there was anything hidden in Hatchetfield High, Lex was sure someone had already found it and ruined it. After all that was a nasty habit that teenagers tended to have.

The general had told her nothing stayed buried, but how was she even supposed to find the graves when they had all already been overturned?

"Wait, wasn't the Starlight also built by the Waylons?" Alice brought up quickly, her eyes widening as Lex stared at her. "What? It's one of my dad's stupid 'fun facts'."

"Right." Grace nodded quickly, leaning forward and tapping on the image of the knife. "I think this was something special they used probably for their sacrifices. My guess is it was probably used to summon the demons like the one on the other page. Which would explain why they were together."

Lex set the page depicting the blade down, her eyes falling on the drawing under it. She swallowed as she realized how familiar it felt.

"You said that Lakeside used to be one of the places they built?" Lex asked carefully.

Grace hummed in confirmation, as Lex could feel her eyes and Alice's watching her.

"So not demons." She explained. Her hand started to shake as she threw the pages down. "They were summoning gods. That's what Linda was trying to do in the mall. What-" Lex met Alice's eyes carefully, seeing the understanding in them. "What the cult wanted."

"Oooh fudging heck..." Grace sighed. "That's what was going on Black Friday?!"

It was more than just summoning. Lex knew that. Wiggly wanted the chance to play around in the real world. It was why Cross was stalking around the mall, why he was still apparently hanging around town.

"So the Waylons were around in like, the 1920s right?" Alice asked carefully, looking over at Grace who sat up in attention. "What about anything, older? Like the story of the old witch that was hung in the woods."

"I mean the Waylons and their cult had allies. Roots in the town before they settled. It's all really muddy though. They didn't want to leave a paper trail of crimes I guess." Grace shrugged before leaning forward, her eyes glinting as her voice dropped conspiratorially. "I once heard that the reason the woods are called the Witchwoods is because the all trees were originally planted to keep the soul of a witch trapped. Like some sort of-"

"Web." Lex finished quietly, swallowing hard as her nails dug into her hands.

"Yeah..." Grace agreed, nodding slowly. "It was something to do with the roots keeping her spirit from escaping. Or maybe the branches. But that would've been long before the Waylons, almost back when the town was first founded."

"So there's no records of a hanging or anything? No more creepy drawings?" Alice asked a bit more desperately as Grace shook her head.

"Not that I know of."

Lex looked up at the clock on the wall, noticing just how much time had passed. It had gotten late, the building falling quiet, the nerds from before were either finally quietly working or more likely having left completely. She pushed her chair back, getting to her feet as she swept up the 2 drawings Grace had found.

"Wait, where are you going?" Grace asked, jumping to her feet in concern.

Alice followed her lead, visibly relieved as she picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder.

"I'm going home. And so are you. Before it gets dark." Lex explained dryly, staring at Grace as her shoulders raised and eyes widened.

"B-but you still haven't told me how you or your sister are involved!" She cried, stepping forward to grab at Lex's arm and stop her from leaving. "If you're wrapped up in some sort of trouble-"

"I'm always in trouble, Grace." Lex rolled her eyes with a sigh. She turned back to the younger girl, seeing the real concern behind her panic. She looked down at the pages in her hand and shook her head.

Of course the town's local prude would be more helpful then the ghost of a military general. And of course she would somehow be harder to get rid of.

Lex set a hand on Grace's head, between her hair clips.

"This helped." She told her plainly, holding the pages up a bit higher. "But don't go back to that house. You know how useless the cops here are. I doubt they picked up everyone involved."

It wasn't a truth she fully believed. If Macnamara's agency had been the ones responsible for picking up those affected by Wiggly's presence, then chances were they had picked up everyone involved in the cult.

But Cross wasn't involved in the cult.

Her eyes met Alice's, an understanding shared between them as Grace nodded and smiled. She started to pick up the building plans that had been spilled as she shoveled them back into her backpack.

Alice passed her quietly, moving to eagerly leave as she pulled out her keys, turning over her shoulder to check that Lex was following. She took a moment, looking back at Grace who was humming quietly, her chest still puffed out in pride.

Still all too confident.

"If you see a creepy man in all denim," Lex caught the younger girl's eyes, making sure to speak loudly enough for Alice to hear as well, "you fucking run."

Lex didn't wait for her reaction, her hand gripping tighter to the thick pages in her hand. She turned to catch up to Alice, ignoring her stare as they made their way outside. The sun was just beginning to set as Lex spied Bill's old mini-van parked in the corner of the lot. She turned her head to see Grace's bike locked up neatly in the racks.

She let them walk for just a bit, before grabbing Alice's wrist, pulling them both back against the brick exterior of the building. Turning so her back was to the sidewalk and that her body covered Alice's, she looked over her shoulder to make sure she still had sight of the front door.

"Uh, Lex?" Alice asked, her voice cracking just slightly as her eyes widened. She looked around Lex worriedly. "Car's over there-"

"I'm aware." Lex said quickly, leaning out slightly to watch back towards the entrance of the building.

When she turned back, Alice was looking down at her wrist, still clutched in Lex's hand. Before either of them could speak, they heard a familiar soft humming. Lex watched Grace unlock the chain of her bike, faintly aware of Alice shifting closer to her, her chin nearly on her shoulder as she tried to figure out just what had her attention. After taking a moment to adjust her backpack on her shoulders, Grace hopped on her bike and pedaled away, completely unaware of the eyes watching her.

To Lex's relief she turned down the right road. Away from the Waylon house.

Lex dropped Alice's wrist.

"Had to make sure she fucking went home." She shrugged, knowing the question that was about to be asked.

Alice rolled her eyes, crossing her arms as she fell back against the brick. Lex took a step back, giving them both space.

"You suck at explaining yourself." Alice said plainly.

"Get used to it." Lex shrugged, only stepping back onto the sidewalk once she was sure Chasity was out of sight. Once she was sure nobody was watching them.

She didn't think Alice would want any more rumors to be flying around about her love life then what existed already.

"Keep that up and I'll leave you to walk home."

"Was already planning on it." Lex replied to the taunt unaffected, carefully folding the drawings she was holding into her pocket as she started down the sidewalk.

"Oh no you don't." Alice sighed, pushing off the wall and grabbing ahold of Lex's elbow. She locked it within her own, giving her a withering stare. "You don't have a phone, and I don't have a magic sister to tell me if you get back safe."

Lex rolled her eyes, letting herself be pulled along.

"I really don't think that's how it works."

Alice ignored her, only letting her arm go once they got close enough to the car to unlock the doors. Lex climbed into the passenger seat as Alice turned the keys and cranked the heat. In a smooth motion she pulled off her backpack, unzipping the front pocket and quickly grabbing something out. Tossing the bag into the backseat, she held the small box off to her side.

Looking down, Lex saw it was a set of new strings. Ukelele strings. Her mouth dried as she stared at them, realizing she hadn't touched Hannah's gift since the night the stereo had broken.

She hadn't been able to bring herself to check it.

Her hand extended to take them before Alice suddenly pulled it back, staring at her sharply.

"What?"

"You need to talk with your sister." Alice said plainly.

"I already do-"

"About this."

Lex grit her teeth. Her hand clenched in her pocket, next to the papers she had stashed away.

"I'm not involving her."

"She's already involved Lex!" Alice cried, barely letting her finish. "You heard what Grace said, you knew what she was talking about. A web? In the woods? Sound like anyone you two might know?"

Sighing, Lex fell back against the seat turning away from Alice as she stared up at the roof of the car. She fought the urge to hold out her hand, to try and call for the woman she already knew wouldn't be there to answer.

Because of course it wasn't that simple.

"She's gone. Isn't she?" Alice asked softly, setting the strings in Lex's lap.

Lex stared down at them, gently peeling her hand out of her pocket, pulling the folded pages with her. Once again she remembered the feeling of frantic insect legs running across her palm. Remembered closing her fist, closing that connection.

It wasn't supposed to be for the last time.

"Yeah." She admitted quietly.

The thick, odd feeling of the paper weighed heavy in her hand as she unfolded the drawings, setting them over top of the strings.

Her eyes naturally fell on the only real lead she had gotten. Macnamara had said it was the only thing capable of killing something like Cross. Seeing it sketched out, Lex couldn't help but agree.

The knife itself looked wrong. The coppery color of the ink made her stomach twist as the bleeding effect of the once crisp lines made the blade look like it was cutting through the paper itself. Her hand moved to hold the drawing closer, gripping it tightly at the edge. The heavy and coarse feeling hadn't waned. It irritated her skin as her thumb rubbed against the fibers that had begun fraying over the years.

What she was holding didn't feel like paper.

It felt worse. It felt wrong.

Looking again at the blade, Lex couldn't fight the overwhelming and rising feeling of panic. An unfamiliar anger burned under her skin as the world around her seemed to fall away.

Nothing about it should have existed.

Her other hand lifted to hold the page at the opposite end. She felt it pull taut, the fraying fibers looking ready to rip and burst as her hands started to shake.

Another voice was in her head. It didn't even sound like her own. It was old, and angry. It wanted to bury the lead.

She should destroy it.

There was a warmth on her shoulder, chasing back the panic, clearing the tunnel vision in her mind. Lex blinked, dropping the page back down stiffly as she forced herself to take a deep breath. Alice's hand didn't recede. The touch was grounding.

Comforting.

Her eyes fell to other image they had found.

"That's Wiggly?" Alice asked quietly, that same, gentle hand tensing as Lex knew she was looking at the same horrifying depiction.

"Yeah. Eldritch horror or whatever. Webby's brother. Cross's master and mad at me for ruining his plans." Lex forced herself to speak past the knot that had grown in her throat. "That's the reason why I'm not involving Hannah."

"It's her best friend that's missing." Alice reminded her sternly as her hand fell from its place on her shoulder. "It's her sister that's nearly being killed every other week-"

"Yeah. Right now they're trying to kill me not her." Lex snapped. "The more she gets involved the more I'm going to have fucking fight off. Which I can't do because the gun I have doesn't even work on the man coming after us. Even breaking his fucking ribs didn't slow him down." She growled, forcing herself to look down at the blade, unable to bring herself to touch it again.

"Apparently this is the only thing that can hurt him and nobody can tell me where the fuck it is."

Her chest heaved in heavy breaths as her nerves felt alight with irritation. How was she supposed to do this? She couldn't search all of Hatchetfield on a wild goose chase for a blade and a woman that were both missing. That were both purposefully hidden.

Lex knew she didn't have that long. Knew that Cross would find them again, would come after her again before she could even get close. This kind of rigged game was probably exactly what he wanted.

Alice shifted in her chair, twisting in her seat to fully face Lex, waiting for the other girl to meet her eyes.

They were filled with the same familiar anxiety, a building panic she was trying to conceal. Behind it was something else, a concern that ran deeper than it should have. One that Lex knew shouldn't have been associated with someone like her.

"Hannah could." Alice said quietly. Plainly.

Like it was really that simple.

After a moment, she turned back to the wheel, finally pulling them out of park as she drove them from the lot, heading back out on the road.

"That man, Cross?" She continued quietly, ignoring Lex's pointed silence. "He didn't care that she wasn't involved. He still wanted her anyways. You being a stubborn asshole about it isn't going to change that."

Lex grit her teeth, her eyes falling to the window, staring out at the woods as they grew closer and closer.

The worst part wasn't that she knew Alice was right.

It was that Alice knew she was right.

Which, if experience taught her anything, Lex knew that meant she wouldn't drop it.

She sighed, looking at the setting sun. Her mind fell to Grace, hoping the girl had gotten home by now. Knowing that Alice was once again pushing getting home past dark. All to make sure she got home safe. With a heavy sigh, Lex tucked everything back into her pockets, taking the most care with Hannah's strings. Alice's eyes flicked off the road for a second as Lex held them gingerly in her hand.

"Thanks." Lex said softly.

Alice shrugged.

"I didn't actually have any in my room. Deb went out and got these when I asked." She admitted after a moment.

"Ew." Lex said, smiling slightly as she heard a breathy laugh in response.

"Ew." Alice agreed. "Just maybe a little less so by the day."

Lex tried to be happy for her, finding it odd when the emotion was seemingly missing from her chest. She shrugged the feeling off, knowing that it didn't matter.

It was up to Alice to determine how she felt about it after all.

They pulled up the drive to Becky's house, the sun just starting to sink below the trees of the Witchwood, once again setting Lex's nerves on edge. She frowned as she got out, turning back and leaning against the open door as she remembered something from the night before.

"Remind me I still need to give you back your dad's ugly sweatshirt."

Alice laughed, smirking as her eyes caught the fading light with a sparkle.

"I mean, it is ugly, but I don't know, I thought you pulled it off just fine." She teased. "I'll see you tomorrow, Lex."

Lex stared at her, taking a moment to process as Alice laughed again. She leaned forward and grabbed the inside handle of the door.

"Why?"

"Because it's us now." Alice replied plainly as she pulled the door from Lex's hold. It slammed shut with a thud as she smirked again, lifting a small hand to wave goodbye.

Lex watched her leave, waiting until the van had faded from view entirely before her feet finally unfroze and she headed inside.

***

The house was quiet as Lex pushed through the front door. Immediately her body was set on edge. She moved quickly through the entryway, realizing with some horror exactly why it felt so wrong. Her fingers twitched at her side as she stormed into the living room to see Tom sitting back on the couch, his focus completely on the tv in front of him.

"Where's Hannah?"

It was rare that she ever saw Tom jump, but the man recoiled into the back of the couch, his hand clenching into a tight fist as he turned and glared at Lex.

She stared right back at him.

After a moment, she saw the tension, the instinct to fight, leave his eyes as he brought his hand to his nose, pinching it tightly.

"Fuck, Lex." He growled out in a sigh. "Scared the shit out of me."

Lex narrowed her eyes as he dragged his hand down his face, eventually looking back at her.

"Becky took the kids to go grab a bite to eat. Think they mentioned Denny's."

Lex was still standing in the middle of the doorway. Forcing herself to relax, she moved to lean against the wall, tearing her eyes away from Tom to try and calm her racing heartbeat. She squinted at the TV realizing she recognized just what he was focusing so hard on.

"So you stayed home to what, play video games?" She asked, lifting her hand lazily to gesture at the tv.

Tom rolled his eyes, turning his attention back to the game as the lobby vanished, the match starting. Lex watched him struggle, mashing several buttons before finding the right combination that opened the menu and 'paused' the game.

Not knowing that it wouldn't stop him from getting shot at.

"Trying to get used to this," Tom explained, lifting his hand, the controller hanging limply from his grip, "stupid controller."

Lex smirked, pushing off the wall to hold out her hand out as she leaned against the back of the couch. He looked at her dryly, before passing the controller back.

"Helps if you hold it with both hands." She taunted, unpausing the game as she moved them into cover.

Tom squinted at her grip, snatching the controller back as he tried to copy it. His hands were a little too large, too rough, his fingers causing him to fire the gun into the wall accidentally.

They both heard gun shots in the distance.

"Better run." Lex warned, still smirking as she folded her arms on the back of the couch, hanging off it as she watched her former shop teacher clumsily move his character out of safety and right into an ambush. He managed to get a few shots off into a nearby tree before the other players filled him full of bullets.

"Damn it." Tom swore as the screen declared him dead.

Lex let her head rest on her arms as he flicked the console off. She knew why he was trying. Tim had been dragging everyone into playing Fortnite with him lately.

Everyone except his father.

"You'll get it eventually." She said lazily, her eyes closing.

Her body felt exhausted. With a sigh, she felt her shoulder twinge in pain, flinching just slightly.

She could feel his eyes on her.

"Surprised you were out so late."

"Alice still had a lot of questions." Lex shrugged, her eyes remaining closed.

Yesterday was easy to explain. Just filling in Alice on what had happened the night before. She had told both Tom and Becky a much shorter version of the truth. That some creep from the mall came back wanting revenge. It would make sense why he was curious about her being out again tonight. Especially with the way his eyes had told her he didn't believe that revenge was all that man had wanted the night before.

It was just easier to not let him know Grace had now been included as well, knowing it would only lead to more questions. Questions Tom wouldn't ask, knowing she wouldn't answer.

After all, that wasn't the nature of their relationship.

"You're not usually one to entertain those." He pointed out gruffly after a moment.

Lex breathed out her nose in a short laugh.

"Suppose not."

Lex peaked an eye open, trying to gauge his reaction. There was small smile on his face, a glint in his eyes. It made her roll her eyes. He leaned his own head back, resting his eyes as they both relaxed into the quiet.

The same quiet Lex had been afraid of.

The one she used to chase away with his stereo.

Maybe that's why she was so different. Why she put up with Alice's curiosity. Her questions kept Lex's own thoughts at bay. Kept them from turning inwards. She looked down at Tom, taking note of his own hand as it impatiently tapped against the cushion of the couch.

He had always had music playing in his classroom. Lex knew Tom had only been back teaching at Hatchetfield for only a short period of time, but there was dust still on his radio. Like he hadn't touched it since abandoning it a year ago.

"Do you still think about your wife?"

Tom's jaw clenched tighter. It wasn't like before, when she would poke at it on purpose. Some sort of way to make him feel the pain she did. Immediately Lex regretted asking, pushing up from her position as she stiffly took a step back.

"You know what, never mind."

They were both shit with this, that shouldn't need to change just because-

"Just-" Tom said suddenly, purposefully not looking at Lex as she froze. "Just sit." He said stiffly as his fist tapped the spot next to him.

Lex looked at it with a grimace, her eyes watching Tom carefully as she moved to sit at the very edge of the couch.

Giving them both room.

"This about Ethan?" He asked quietly as Lex felt her stomach flip.

"Yeah." Lex admitted, not knowing why she told the truth.

Not knowing it was the truth.

Tom sighed, his stiff position loosening just slightly. His eyes were still on the ground ahead of them both.

"I didn't. At first. That court-assigned counselor said it would take a while to fully process." He admitted after a moment. "That wasn't true. It was there, but I avoided it. Just like with everything else."

"So how long can you avoid it?"

"Not long enough." Tom shrugged.

Lex picked at the couch as she sat back, falling into the corner of the armrest, her hood pressing uncomfortably into her neck.

Her grief had already caught up. Lex could feel it in the way even her bones felt hollow. If she stopped to think about anything for too long her limbs felt like they were underwater, her muscles sluggish. There was something more than just exhaustion fogging her mind in the silence she avoided.

A pain shot through her heart, sharp and quick. Biting the inside of her cheek to chase it away, she risked a glance at Tom. Her former shop teacher was studying her carefully, his bushy eyebrows nearly covering the concern behind his eyes.

Nearly.

Scowling, Lex jerked her hood free from behind her neck, pulling it down over her head as she stared straight forward.

"And now?" She asked bitterly.

"I still think about her." Tom admitted gruffly.

"Real fair to Becky then." Lex shot back, the venom in her voice dripping into her chest, burning her from the inside.

"It's not that simple."

Lex pulled a leg up onto the couch, wrapping her arms around it tightly. The pang from earlier came again.

"It's not going to just leave you, Lex." Tom probed further, not realizing how unwelcome it was.

At some point, she had begun shaking. She gripped her leg tighter.

"He's gone. I can't change that. I just need to move on." Lex growled quietly, unsure if she was trying to convince herself, or Tom.

"Sounds real healthy to me." He agreed after a moment.

"It doesn't need to be healthy." Lex snapped. "It's over. Done."

Gone.

Tom sighed heavily next to her, leaning back into the couch with a force that jostled Lex's body, reminding her of just how much pain it was in.

She blinked.

Why was her body in pain?

"Me and Becky found him. Right before he passed." Tom told her quietly.

Lex felt something build within her chest. An uncomfortable, inescapable bubble that burned and chilled her at the same time. She felt sick.

"He was thinking of you." He rumbled on. "Said he would get you to California. That you didn't have-"

"Stop." Lex growled suddenly, the venom dripping even heavier in response to his words. A clear warning.

Tom watched her unaffected.

Lex wanted to get up. To leave. To shut herself away in her room like she should have when she got home. Her body didn't listen. Instead, she turned to face the wall, studying it as an excuse to try and solve why she suddenly couldn't breathe. She had already been here before. With Alice. There shouldn't be anything left-

Lex didn't remember Tom moving. One second, she was staring at the wall, the next, her face was buried in his flannel, her eyes blurry with the tears that wouldn't stop. It wasn't nearly as messy as the sobs she had before. It all felt so painfully hollow as her breath hitched in her chest. Lex was fully aware of her body, aware of her arms as they lay limply at her side. Tom gently shifted her, his own arms stiff with uncertainty as Lex felt herself fall further into his chest.

"You're going to miss him Lex. For the rest of your life. And it's going to hurt like a god damn bitch, every time." He spoke softly. Softer than Lex could ever remember him speaking. "But you're allowed to grieve. To be pissed about it."

"I don't want to be mad about it." Lex mumbled. It was childish. It wasn't even the full truth. "I just want to forget."

Her heart ached even as she spoke, an outcry against the lie she wanted to believe.

"I know." Tom rumbled.

Lex's arms finally moved, lifting up and clawing into the flannel the man always wore. Tom had always been so much bigger than her, but most days it never seemed to matter. He always treated her with enough respect that it didn't make her feel small. Now she was almost glad for his size. The idea of facing even the rest of the open living room was overwhelming as the tears continued to fall from her face.

The tears started to fall harder, a result of the shaking in her chest and body.

"How am I supposed to do this?"

Lex was unsure if the words even left her mouth. Unsure if she even wanted them to.

Tom didn't answer right away, his arms still laying heavy on her back. Maybe she hadn't spoken at all. Maybe it was just another annoying thought. One that was better if it stayed buried.

"I don't know." He answered anyways.

Lex felt like she was moving through water, gently pulling back to look up at him.

His arms loosened, letting her move as she needed, even as his entire body tensed. His own eyes were watery, but when Lex met them, he still managed to summon a stiff smile.

"Maybe that's something we can both work on." He offered weakly.

Lex stared at him for a moment longer, before leaning forward and falling back into his chest. Tom let his head rest on top of her own as Lex could feel his breath, hesitantly rising and falling in time with her own. The scruff of his beard scraped and caught on her hood.

Lex knew he was as afraid of this as she was.

She closed her eyes, not knowing how long she stayed against his chest. Not knowing how long he held her, unmoving. Facing his own fears in the quiet they both had grown to hate.

They heard a door shut outside.

Lex's tears had long since dried as she pushed back, her body going stiff. She remembered what Alice had told her. Remembered all the things she had left unsaid to her own sister.

It felt like too much.

Tom tilted his head towards the stairs.

"I'll let them know you got home and felt like shit." He gave her the excuse she needed.

Biting her lip Lex tried to shoot him a grateful smile. It didn't quite make it to her face, but Tom's eyes glinted in way that told her he understood. She slunk up the stairs, disappearing into her room as the front door opened and her door shut. Her eyes fell back on the sweatshirt she had left on the desk.

Swallowing, she picked it up, meaning to fold it and set it away. Instead it remained clenched in her fists as she sat down on the bed, her eyes staring into nothing.

Exactly where Hannah found her.

Her sister crawled gently onto the bed, gently taking the sweatshirt out of her grip as Lex looked at her with a raised eyebrow. Hannah ignored her, gently tossing it over the back of the chair.

Lex smiled, the emptiness in her head finally clearing away. Her eyes grew heavy as her sister pulled her back into the bed itself, laying down next to her as she pulled up the blanket.

They laid side by side in the quiet. The only light coming from the crack under the door as light from the hallway spilled in like a thin blade against the black.

Her hand found her sister's under the blanket, giving it a gentle squeeze as Hannah hummed gently.

Her mind felt more empty than it had in the last several nights. It should've filled her with dread. With guilt. There was so much she still had to get done. So much that could still go wrong. Her thoughts turned back to the general. The confidence behind his piercing gaze.

Thought back to what Alice had told her.

Turning her head to rest against Hannah's, Lex took a deep breath.

"We'll talk tomorrow." She mumbled gently, knowing her sister was still awake to hear it. "I promise."

Instead of answering, Hannah squeezed her hand back burying her head into Lex's chest. The quiet so much less overwhelming as she finally fell asleep.

Chapter Text

Lex had only been up for a couple of minutes when Hannah walked into the kitchen, gently rubbing her eyes.

"You awake over there?" Lex teased with a soft smile, expecting her sister to sleep in just a little later.

Hannah opened her eyes and studied Lex carefully. She didn't move from the doorway as Lex waited patiently.

"They them day today?" Hannah asked after a moment.

"Are you telling me or asking me?" Lex chuckled as Hannah made a face.

Looking over at the reflection in the glass of the stove, Lex took in the appearance staring back. It occurred to them that it hadn't been something they could bring themselves to do since waking up, unknowingly avoiding it. Feeling a disconnect to their own skin.

They forced themselves to reframe their perspective as they stared, becoming more at ease as Hannah came over and rested her head sleepily on their shoulder. It felt easier to look at themself when there wasn't any expectation of what they were supposed to be.

Hannah was right. As usual.

"Guess it's good thing we're mostly hanging out with Alice then today." Lex bumped their head softly against Hannah's as the younger girl seemed to wake more with the sentence.

"You told her?"

"Eh. Grace outed me a couple of days ago." Lex shrugged at Hannah's narrowed eyes. "Not like that. She did what she always does and just confused Alice into asking more questions."

Biting her lip, Hannah moved to slide into the chair next them.

"Webby never liked her." Hannah said warily.

Lex scowled. It was a familiar sentiment that they had heard before and not just from Webby.

"Yeah, well, if I knew that the only gods that did exist were all evil except me, I could see how Grace's preaching could get old real quick."

Hannah merely hummed as Lex stood up, heading to the cupboards. They both didn't talk about it. Lex already knew. They could see it in their sister's eyes, the unspoken worry.

It had been days now, and Webby still hadn't appeared.

"You hungry?"

There was a beat of silence as Lex turned to see Hannah staring at them.

"Are you?"

Lex swallowed, remembering the promise they had made last night. They gently closed the cabinet they had opened, moving over to set their hands on Hannah's shoulders. They didn't need to look down to feel her eyes on them.

"What's on your mind?" Lex asked, already knowing it was far more than they could imagine.

"You." Hannah said plainly.

"Now you know that won't lead anywhere." Lex tapped her nose as Hannah glared at them. "Try again."

After a moment, Hannah sighed, leaning her head back into Lex's stomach.

"Webby." Hannah admitted, before quietly, "Ethan."

"I don't know where she is." Lex admitted, not missing the irony of finding their shared 'imaginary' friend the easier thing to talk about. "I thought maybe I'd get at least some idea after talking with Grace about everything, but... it led somewhere different."

Hannah hummed as Lex felt their mouth dry.

"And Ethan..." They closed their eyes, taking a shaky breath.

It was always going to hurt.

"You miss him." Hannah said plainly.

"Yeah." Lex swallowed the knot that had grown in their throat, feeling their eyes burn, thankful they still somehow remained dry. "I do. His stupid face mostly."

They closed their eyes, seeing his familiar smirk. For once being able to actually focus on it without immediately pushing against the memory.

"I still see him sometimes." Hannah said carefully, looking down at the table. Her shoulders slouched. "And he's happy, with us. But I also know he's gone."

Lex felt their heart clench, his memory, the idea of Ethan felt lighter than it had in a long time, but that didn't make hearing the catch in their sister's voice any easier. The smile slipped from their face as they found themselves biting their lip. After a shaky breath, Hannah looked up at them. Her eyes were older. Too old.

Lex couldn't help but feel how unfair it was.

"I don't think he'd want us to miss him so much." She said quietly.

Lex chuckled dryly. Their sister was right, and they knew it. Ethan had always tried to live in the moment. Always said there was no point in dwelling in the past.

They had usually agreed with him.

"Yeah. Well. He's not here to tell me not to." Lex smiled sadly, leaning their head down to rest on Hannah's.

"He never liked telling you what to do anyways."

"That's cause he was scared of me. For good reason." Lex laughed.

"You're not that scary." Hannah protested as Lex squeezed her.

The air felt lighter in the room. It always did, after Lex talked with their sister. They were reminded of just how far they had pulled away. A small wave of guilt rose in their throat. They did their best to ignore it.

"Can't just let me have this today?"

Hannah shook her head, pulling a groan from Lex's throat.

"I feel like you might be biased." Lex pointed out dryly.

"Is Alice afraid of you?"

Lex snorted.

"I tried my best. No luck." They grumbled. "Guess we're stuck with her. You ok with that?"

"I like Alice." Hannah hummed gently.

"Even though she's not Ethan?"

Their voice was quieter then they intended, but Hannah heard it. She shifted in their arms, turning to her side so she could stare into Lex's eyes. Despite feeling older, they were still same eyes that looked at them like they were the only thing in the world.

"You're not replacing him." Her voice was gentle as she leaned her head into Lex's chest.

Hannah had always known what to say to them. Like a switch that had finally been flipped, Lex felt a small part of their chest release the pressure that had building. Like some of their ever familiar guilt finally let go of the grip it had on their heart. They took a breath, burying their nose into Hannah's hair and pulling her close.

"I love you." They mumbled quietly, feeling Hannah's arms reach up to wrap around their back.

"I know." Hannah said plainly as Lex laughed.

"Not going to say it back?"

"You already know." Hannah shot back, burying further into their arms.

"Still kinda a bitch move." Lex shrugged, feeling Hannah sigh.

"I love you Lexi." She said softly, her voice full of emotion even despite Lex's purposeful teasing. She waited for just a moment before speaking again. "Even though you haven't been eating."

Lex scowled as they flinched. Their stomach growled just slightly, the emotions in their chest finally taking a moment to let them feel just how weak their body felt. They couldn't remember the last time they had sat down to eat something.

Glancing back at the clock on the microwave, Lex stood up. It was already past when they normally started breakfast, but almost everyone in the house had slept in. The heavy clouds hid the sun, as it felt much earlier in the day then it actually was. They still had plenty of time to kill before they'd agreed to meet up with Alice.

"Tell you what, you help me make something and then we can go sneak off to our room." Lex smiled, watching Hannah's eyes light up.

She knew what they meant. Their own little tradition.

They found something quick to make, rushing through prep and cooking and trying to hurry before the rest of the house finally woke for the day. It wasn't exactly the same as the times they had done this routine in the past. Back then it was a purposeful game, one Lex had started to avoid their mother and whatever stranger she had brought home that night.

Today it was just something familiar. The rest of the small family they had come to live with wouldn't scream at them or shoo them away without breakfast so there were no stakes to getting caught. As they laughed softly with each other, Lex knew that Hannah understood.

This wasn't about making breakfast and hiding away. It was just so the rest of the morning could remain just time for the two of them. Upstairs the gentle sounds of shuffling proceeded the sound of water running. Lex caught eyes with their sister as they froze.

Tom was up for his morning shower.

Hannah pulled on their arm as Lex made sure to grab both of their plates, resolving to come back and clean the small mess they had made later. They slipped up the stairs and through the door of their room, only barely shutting it in time to hear the room across from theirs open. The first of the household to greet the morning turning to head down the stairs, none the wiser.

After quietly waiting until they both heard the sound of soft voices drifting up from downstairs, both Hannah and Lex began their own quiet conversation.

They swapped their favorite stories of Ethan.

As the morning turned into the early afternoon, Lex found it easier and easier to talk about him. To think about him without the same lump blocking their throat or weight hanging off their chest. Hannah seemed happier too, especially after Lex had finally cleared their plate.

In the middle of trying to remember just what word Ethan had won his 2nd Grade Spelling Bee contest with, they both heard a gentle knock on the door.

Lex got up, ignoring Hannah's pout as they opened the door and met eyes with Tom. He held his phone up, the number looking familiar as Lex found themselves biting back a laugh. They didn't think it was possible to look both relieved and irritated at the same time.

"Wanna explain why I'm getting your calls now?" Tom narrowed his eyes, looking over at the screen. "You piss off Bill again or something?"

"By just existing? Yeah." Lex answered plainly, receiving a huffed sigh in response as Tom handed over his phone. "In terms of this call? Probably not."

Tom rolled his eyes, beginning to walk back down the hallway before Lex called after him

"You know-" Lex started before Tom quickly made a dismissive noise.

"No. You aren't selling drugs to get your own." He called over his shoulder irritably as Lex chuckled.

They swiped the answer button across the screen as they put the call on speaker.

"Mr. Houston wants to know if I've managed to piss off your father today." Lex said plainly, smiling at the laugh they got on the other side of the phone.

Tom looked down the hall at them dryly, a small, amused smile on his own face. He rolled his eyes as he made his way down the stairs and out of sight.

"Not yet." Alice laughed softly. "But I did agree to go to church with him today in exchange for him not asking where I was planning on going tonight. So he's in a better mood than usual. Even let me borrow his phone so I could get Tom's number."

"Church huh? Worried he's going to get upset about you hanging out with your delinquent again?" Lex teased, kicking the door back shut as they moved into the room, sitting down next to Hannah.

"Hi Alice." Hannah said quickly, leaning over Lex's arm to be closer to the phone.

"Hi Hannah." Alice greeted her. "Lex talk with you about what we found out yet?"

"No." Hannah shook her head.

"Lex-" Alice started disapprovingly.

"You suck." Lex narrowed their eyes at their sister who simply smiled in response. "You know we've been talking about other things."

"Well don't worry. As soon as I can drag my dad out of here, I'll swing by and maybe we can get her to talk then."

Lex fell quiet, their hand clenching just a slight bit tighter to the phone then before. They shook it off, knowing it would be another day or so of feeling this way. It happened every time, they should be used to it-

"Don't be too hard on them. They finally ate something today." Hannah said gently, her eyes on the phone.

"Oh?" Alice asked, the hint of a smile in her voice.

"It's not been that long-"

"You nearly passed out like 2 days ago."

"Yeah, well, the horrors keep me up all night. What else is new?" Lex grumbled.

"Speaking of horrors, I'm pretty sure Grace is just waiting to catch me alone to bother me about yesterday. I swear if I hear anything about Deb-"

"You'll be fine, princess." Lex rolled their eyes. "Just talk with her about some murder or disappearance and she'll go off on that instead."

"It's weird you know that. It's weird she does that-"

"Ask her about the Mayor." Hannah said suddenly, causing both Alice and Lex to fall quiet.

Her eyes were closed tightly, her fists clenched at her side. Lex moved to reach for her before her eyes suddenly opened. Shooting them a small smile, their sister relaxed, her fists unclenching.

Whatever vision she had seen had passed.

"You know what, asking about the mayor definitely sounds better then asking about murders. Thank you, Hannah."

Lex continued to stare at their sister, their heart beating in their throat as Hannah stared at them. They couldn't care less about whatever Solomon Lauter was up to, or Grace's thoughts on him. Alice's words from yesterday echoed in their ears.

She's already involved.

"Fuck, I think I just saw her." Alice hissed after a moment. "Ok, I'm not eager to get an earful about how it's rude to be on your phone in a church or whatever so I'll see you guys later."

The phone fell dark in their hands as Lex stared down at it, their mouth dry.

"How often have you been having those?" They asked quietly, staring at their sister.

"They come and go." She shrugged, not quite meeting their eyes.

Rubbing their face, Lex sighed.

"I thought I told you to tell me if they got bad."

"They aren't bad though." Hannah defended herself quickly. "They're just... feelings. It's different then when Webby was around."

Instead of answering whatever mystery that was likely to be, Lex threw their head back on their shoulders, getting to their feet. They moved over to the door as they felt Hannah's eyes on them. Opening it, they leaned out into the hallway.

"You want this back?!" Lex yelled, knowing Tom would hear.

"Keep it!" Tom answered at the same volume. "Not like I'm the one with a social life on that thing."

"Yeah well, apparently my social life is coming over later." Lex called back, knowing Tom knew exactly who they were talking about.

"Tell her she's got to play Fortnite with me this time!" Tim's small voice cried as Lex chuckled.

"Will do."

They gently shut the door once again as they moved quickly to sit next to their sister, pulling her tightly into their side. They leaned their head down onto Hannah's head, enjoying the way she hummed happily in response.

"You know, I'm actually pretty sure the word Ethan was always bragging about was just, liar."

***

Alice came over around early afternoon. Somehow either Tom had waved her past Tim or the kid decided to have mercy on her as she was able to come straight upstairs.

Only to get tackled into a hug by Hannah.

"You know it hasn't been that long since you've seen me." She laughed, wrapping her arms around Hannah's back as Lex lazily smiled.

They moved over on the bed, making room as Hannah dragged Alice by the arm into joining them. She met Lex's eyes as she settled back against the wall, Hannah flopping in the middle of them.

"Alright. How stubborn are you feeling today?"

Lex rolled their eyes.

"More so by the minute." They shrugged, ignoring the withered look Alice gave them. "Did you ask Grace about our lovely mayor Lauter?"

"Didn't get a chance. I didn't actually see her again after I hung up on you guys." Alice answered, her shoulders tense. "Guess she left or something."

Watching Hannah carefully, Lex saw their sister make a face. The same one she made whenever they ran into Grace herself. Like something was wrong, and she didn't know what. Reaching over to their jacket still hanging over the chair next to them, they pulled out the pages they had taken with them yesterday.

Alice's eyes went wide as a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. Ignoring her, Lex carefully unfolded them, ignoring the familiar sliver of discomfort at the feeling of the parchment under their skin.

They set them both in front of their sister. Hannah crossed her arms, her hands holding tightly to her elbows as she leaned over. Almost as if she was as hesitant to touch them as Lex felt. After a moment, she looked up to them.

"These are old." She said plainly as Lex nodded.

The fact that they were mixed in at all with the relatively 'newer' building plans for the old Waylon house made it even more obvious. Hannah looked back at the sheets.

"As old as the Witchwood." She clarified.

Lex blinked, somehow knowing Hannah was telling the truth. Though they weren't sure how old the forest really was, if the Waylons were around almost 100 years ago, then they didn't want to imagine how old the trees of the forest were. Alice caught their eyes as they saw the same wariness in them. Before they had a chance to speak, Alice tilted her head, her eyes fixed back on the blade.

"If they are that old," She started hesitantly, biting her lip, "What's the chance that thing is even still around anyways?"

"It has to be." Lex said quietly.

Nobody spoke. Even the noise from the game Tim was playing downstairs had gone quiet.

"I've seen it before."

Both Alice and Lex stared down at Hannah who was carefully studying the drawing of the knife in front of her. She didn't look up at them.

"On a stage, somewhere." She explained further, closing her eyes as she shivered. "In a skeleton. But it's not always a skeleton."

Alice gently set a hand on Hannah's back, their sister immediately relaxing into the touch as Lex looked back at the drawing. They remembered what the general had told them. That Cross had hidden not just the dagger away.

Unfortunately, it didn't seem like he was being cryptic just for fun...

"When Sherman was trying to kill me, I saw someone. Like some sort of military general." Lex shook their head, making sure to keep their voice low, knowing exactly how impossible what they were going to say would sound. "He showed up again the day after we were attacked. He told me that knife was the only thing that could actually hurt Cross. Said I also needed to find the woman who 'wielded' it or whatever."

"I'm going to be going with my dad to church every Saturday for the rest of time at this rate..." Alice groaned, staring up at the ceiling.

It wasn't just the thought of coming up with excuses to keep Bill from asking about what trouble they were in that caused the fear in her voice. The anxiety that she tried to hide behind her irritation. Lex couldn't blame her nerves though, it wasn't like they were too eager to dig up bodies either.

Alice took a deep breath, looking back at Lex.

"You said he was a general? Is that how you got your gun?"

"Yeah." Lex sighed. "Which is the only reason I can't convince myself he wasn't just some stress induced hallucination."

"Ok. So a dead body on a stage. We find it and what, it's supposed to somehow help you guys?"

"I don't know." Lex growled, their shoulders raising as they thought again about how impossible it all seemed. "But it's literally the only thing I got."

"She's not dead." Hannah said softly before shaking her head. "Not every time. Just... stuck."

"So we know the Starlight is one of those places the Waylons built for stuff like that." Alice summarized, gesturing down at the other image laying on the bed. She paused for a moment, her brow furrowed. "That would explain the stage Hannah saw, but uh, Lex have you actually tried just... grabbing it?"

Lex made a face, staring at the dagger in front of them as their shoulders fell. They hadn't tried. It hadn't occurred to them to try. After everything that had happened, Lex was starting to believe that whatever they could do was just an unfortunate side-effect of the shit going on around them. Reading their expression, Alice covered her small laugh with her hand.

"You are the only person I know who would find out they have magic powers and still never use them."

"Shut it." Lex growled as they closed their eyes.

Trying to block out the sound of Alice's laughter, Lex thought about the image of the blade. Thought about the weight of a knife that size, the point that would be needed to bury it deep into a body. They braced themselves to feel the sharpness of the handle, how the designs would press into the skin of their palm.

Their hand reached out and found... nothing.

A familiar taunt echoed in their ears.

Powers you don't understand.

Growling, the image in their mind changed. Tearing out of wherever they normally reached through, Lex pulled on something they knew would be far enough away to prove their point. They tossed the familiar wooden spider into Alice's lap as they leaned back against the wall.

The teasing smile Alice had worn earlier dropped from her face as she picked up the same spider she had held 2 days ago. The one that had been in Tom's desk.

Lex knew it wasn't just location that had messed them up. Their eyes landed on Dusty, laying half-forgotten on the bed. They spent weeks looking for him when Hannah had first lost him, never coming up with anything. In one night, in mere seconds, they were suddenly able to find him simply by picturing him in their mind.

"Guess it's just not that easy." They growled quietly.

Hannah looked down at the spider in Alice's hands, her eyes growing sad. She reached out and held it gingerly in her hands as she studied it. Immediately Lex regretted what they had chosen to grab.

Of course even when they did use their powers right, they still somehow fucked it up.

Taking the key and twisting it slowly, they all watched the spider skitter in the silence. After a moment, Hannah turned to Lex.

"We need to get you closer."

Next to them, Alice shifted to pull out her phone, tapping something into it as her brow furrowed.

"It doesn't look like there are any shows scheduled for the next few weeks at least. Chances are that means the theater is empty." Her phone dropped to her lap as she looked out the window. It was early afternoon now and the sun was just beginning to start its early descent towards the trees. "We should probably wait until later, to go check it out. Less eyes."

"Worried about getting in trouble for breaking and entering?" Lex smirked.

Alice's face turned red for a moment as Lex saw the real uncertainty behind her eyes. Then it was buried as her shoulders set back, shooting them a stiff smile.

"Would it count if I know they always leave the side door unlocked?"

"Another of Bill's fun facts?"

"No." Alice shook her head. "One of Deb's."

"Thought she wasn't interested in theater."

Alice gave them a small smile, her eyes distant.

"Sometimes she tried. When we first got together, back when my parents split, I told her I would kill to go backstage one day. Just to see how everything worked."

Lex watched her eyes light up, sparkling with some fond memory and excitement. Their teasing smirk dropped into something warmer as they listened.

"Back then they were, uh, running a production of Peter Pan." Alice continued, stuttering just slightly under both Hannah and Lex's attention. "They had rigged a pully system for the fairy dust scenes and pretty much all of the set pieces were hand painted. It was really cool."

"Sounds like it." Lex smiled gently, enjoying the way Alice seemed to come to life when they agreed. "Too bad this trip almost promises to be less magical."

"Yeah, well, unlike exploring a cool set, trying to find a sacrificial knife somewhere in a dead body isn't exactly my ideal date." Alice agreed stiffly.

With a chuckle, Lex carefully took in the two other people in the room. Behind Alice's bravado, they could still see the way her shoulders were tensed. The hesitance still in her eyes, clearly still nervous and waiting for something to drop. She kept looking towards the window, pulling up her phone and checking the time.

Turning to their sister, they watched as Hannah carefully leaned over the pages on the bed. Her eyes were wide and fearful as they looked over the image of tentacles being summoned. Lex knew she would recognize the god that nearly killed them both.

"Let's not go tonight." Lex announced, pulling everyone's attention onto them. "As far as I'm concerned we don't have to do anything other then play a couple rounds of Fortnite with Tim. After all, Alice still owes him."

Alice's brow furrowed as she checked the door.

"I don't uh, really play video games." She bit her lip as Lex almost wanted to laugh at how anxious she looked.

She was better at hiding her fear of breaking the law then she was at the idea of playing some game with a kid.

"If you can shoot a gun in real life, then you can handle shooting a gun in a game." Lex pointed out as Alice made a face.

Hannah was still staring at them. After a moment, Alice was too.

"So. We're going to hang out, play a game or two and push all of this off until tomorrow?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Why not?" Lex shrugged, their eyes flicking to the window. The walk to the theater wouldn't be any worse than the walk to school used to be. It would just suck to make it at night, in the cold. "Unless you want to crush poor Tim's hopes of bonding with you and go home right now."

"You would want that, wouldn't you?" Alice scowled, narrowing her eyes. Immediately Lex felt more seen then they had before. "I'll just go home and leave you to sneak off alone tonight."

Their sister's expression changed into a familiar disappointed pout as Lex grit their teeth.

"Ok? So, what?" Lex snapped irritably, knowing they both expected them to relent. "You're obviously still nervous and you're 13. I can handle sneaking in to a dusty old theater alone."

Alice rubbed a hand down her face as she looked up to the ceiling, shaking her head.

"God you're so annoying. It's like you want to get in trouble." She groaned before turning to Hannah. "How do you put up with them?"

Lex felt their building irritation wane, just slightly, as Hannah tugged on Alice's sleeve, whispering something in her ear. They blinked, realizing that for a moment, it felt familiar.

That this time that familiarity didn't hurt as much as it had before.

"What?" They growled as Alice held a hand up to cover her sudden chuckle, Hannah still speaking in her ear.

After a moment, Alice whispered something back that caused Hannah to giggle. The sound was an unexpected comfort as they felt a small smile grow on their face.

"Nothing." Alice laughed after a moment, catching Lex's eyes on her. "Hannah was just telling me how to get around your bull-headedness."

"Cute." Lex rolled their eyes, plucking the pages from the bed and shoving them quickly into the drawer of their desk. They moved to the door.

"And where are you going?" Alice asked dryly.

"I'm going to go kill time with Tim before we leave. If you don't want to be caught by anyone when we do break and enter the theater then like you said, we'll have to leave later tonight." Lex explained, looking over their shoulder as they crossed their arms. "Besides now I'm curious about just how bad you're going to be at this."

"I thought you said if I can shoot in real life I'll be fine."

"Mr. Houston can shoot a gun too, doesn't make him any good at the game." Lex smirked, opening the door.

They stepped back enough to let Hannah take off through it, slipping under their arm as she hurried downstairs to tell Tim the good news. Or maybe she just wanted to make sure she got a controller for herself. Alice pushed off the bed, taking in the room as her eyes landed on Lex's jacket and the sweatshirt underneath it. She stared at them for a moment, before turning to Lex.

"Did you get the strings on yet?"

"What?"

"On Hannah's ukelele?"

Still stuck in the doorway, Lex froze. Their eyes drifted to their desk, to the empty spot where Ethan's stereo had been, their mind recalling the events of that day once again. They could still feel the sobs racking through their body like an echo. It mixed with the memory of Alice's gentle arms, making sure to catch them, staying with them even when she had no real reason to.

Eventually they shook their head, answering Alice's question as they felt a knot rise in their throat.

"What did you do with that thing anyways?" They asked stiffly, nodding at the desk, knowing Alice would remember. "Did you just toss it?"

The question had been on their mind longer then they wanted to admit. Alice shot them a small smile, taking a step forward and gently squeezing their arm. They relaxed into the gentle touch, the buzzing of emotions they had started to feel retreating from their mind.

"I didn't toss it." She said quietly, a small reassurance.

They stared at each other for a moment as Lex felt the guilt recede, realizing with some disappointment that not everything was becoming easier. In Alice's eyes there was a gentle patience, letting them know that they ever wanted to talk about it, she would be there to listen.

Looking down at her hand on their arm they scowled.

"You going to spill on what my sister told you?"

The patience that had been there before switched eagerly to mischief as it danced in her eyes, behind the smirk now growing on her face. Pulling their arm free they sighed, already knowing they wouldn't get an answer.

"That worried I'm going to sneak past your defenses?" Alice asked slyly.

"More worried that you're going to try something that gets you hurt."

"I'm not afraid of you."

"You don't have to be." Lex shrugged. "You should be afraid of the shit I'm in."

Alice was quiet. Neither of them moved. Downstairs they heard Tim and Hannah softly talking together.

"How are you feeling about it?" Alice quietly asked after a moment.

Lex looked down the hall carefully before sighing.

"Doesn't matter how I feel." They answered honestly, hearing their sister's distant laugh. "Come on, I've still got dishes from this morning to do."

They moved down the hallway, already knowing Alice would follow. Walking into the living room first, Tom looked over his shoulder, giving a dry smile as Lex handed him his phone back. Alice went around to the front of the couch, talking with Hannah and Tim. Lex watched them for a moment, making sure everything was alright, before turning towards the kitchen.

Tom waved his arm behind him, grabbing their attention as he passed his controller down to Hannah.

"Dishes?" He asked lazily, not waiting for an answer. "Already took care of them.

Lex stared at him, trying to see if there was any hint of bitterness in his voice, anything deeper. They knew they should've taken care of them earlier. They prepared themselves for a lecture as eventually the man noticed they hadn't moved. He stood up straight, turning around to them as he made a face.

"Jesus Lex, you've been doing them for the last week and a half. Least I could do is help out every once and awhile." He waved it off, noticing how tense they had become.

"Get over here and be moral support." Alice teased with a grin, sitting down on the floor, clearly leaving room behind her on the couch for Lex to join them.

Hannah passed Alice the third controller as Lex jumped over the back of the couch, settling in next to their sister. Tom pushed up from where he had been leaning, moving to go sit in the arm chair, placing a large hand on Lex's head as he passed them.

Tim got the game started, chatting excitedly with Hannah about all the progress his dad had made. Lex helped Alice pick her loadout, explaining the basics of the controls. The next match started quickly, dropping them into the game before Alice could really get used to the movement.

Hannah and Tim immediately took off to gather supplies with Alice only barely keeping up, moving stiffly and robotically. They got into a few firefights, with Alice mostly being a bullet sponge while the other two did all the fighting.

"Wow, you suck at this." Lex laughed as Alice looked up to glare at them.

"Alice!" Tim chided as he glanced over and noticed her attention drawn away. "They're coming, pay attention!"

Watching the girl's shoulders raise in panic, Lex took pity on her as they reached forward, slouching over her back. Their hands grabbed the controller over top of Alice's own.

"Move while you aim." Lex said plainly, tilting the joysticks in demonstration. "If you think someone's coming, hold this button to keep your scope up. Makes it easier to see what you're aiming at."

They felt her jump as several gunshots sounded from the tv.

"Got em!" Tim called confidently.

Lex pulled their hands away, their arms still resting over Alice's shoulders.

"Or just stick behind Tim. I'm sure the 9 year old can keep you safe." They teased lowly, out of earshot of the kids.

Alice bristled underneath them and Lex couldn't help but smirk, even knowing she couldn't see it.

"Weren't you supposed to be moral support?" She grumbled, the movements of her character becoming smoother as she copied Lex's instructions.

"This is more fun." Lex answered lazily, leaning their head down on top of Alice's head, surprised when she leaned back into their chest in response.

Hannah fell shortly before the final storm pushed inwards, with Tim and Alice running for the center. The screen let them know they were down to the last 4 players and Lex could feel the pressure Alice had put on herself. They saw the next obstacle before either of the others, the glint of a scope on a hill. They reached forward, placing their hands over top of Alice's as to their left Tim growled in frustration, his stuff scattering in game the moment the shot connected.

Flipping Alice towards where they had seen the other player, they lifted their hands before Tim could notice the assist. Dropping their chin onto Alice's shoulder they kept their eyes forward. She pulled her sight up, aiming down the barrel as the sniper's glare turned to her.

"Now." Lex whispered as Alice immediately dropped to a crouch, holding down the trigger as the players shot went wide.

In the distance they watched his stuff scatter.

It was Alice's first kill. The kids celebrated but Lex kept their eyes on the screen.

There was still one last player.

Before they could suggest where to begin looking, Alice flipped her character around, running towards the direct center of the 'safe' circle.

"Don't! They'll see you so easily-"

Tim was cut off by the sounds of rapid gunshots as Lex realized what Alice had done. They laughed softly, pulling away from Alice's shoulders as everyone watched her slide behind the cover of a nearby tree. Waiting until the break of the fire that meant the other player was reloading, Alice stepped out of cover, the player who had been following her now fully exposed. Having a full clip and with the other person unable to defend themselves, the last kill was claimed and Alice was declared the victor.

"Congrats, you now suck less than Mr. Houston." Lex teased.

"The controller is too small for him." Tim defended his dad quickly as Tom shook his head.

"I guess if Alice is going to be hanging around here now too, we can look into getting a 4th controller." He rumbled.

"Guess I have another reason to try and go to Best Buy again." Lex half-heartedly joked as they felt Alice stare at them.

"What if we go tonight?! We can see if they have one big enough for your huge hands." Tim offered, smiling hopefully at his dad.

"You and your dad can go." Lex interjected with a small chuckle. "We're going out tonight. Taking Hannah this time."

"Want to explain where?" Tom asked dryly. Based on the tone of his voice, they knew he already knew the answer.

"Thought you said you needed a break from worrying about me?"

Tom sighed as he rubbed his face. When he looked up again he turned to Alice.

"You have my number?"

Alice shook her head, reaching into her pocket as she pulled out her phone and clicked into a new contact. She stood up, walking it over to Tom.

"You know I have it memorized, right?" Lex pointed out.

"And I know you won't call it if you need to." Tom said plainly, typing his number into the phone and handing it back to Alice.

She made her way back to the couch, roughly scooting between Lex and the armrest, her legs kicking up to rest over their knees. After a moment Tom got up with a sigh. He stopped at the window, looking out the blinds.

"What time are you guys planning on leaving?"

"Later. Probably after the sun goes down at least." Lex shrugged, looking over as well.

The clouds were a darker grey then they had been this morning, looking like a heavy blanket across the sky. With a heavy sigh, Tom turned back to them, meeting their eyes evenly.

"At least try to be careful." He said stiffly. "It looks like snow."

Lex shot him a small smile, unable to find the words to reassure him that they would be. They had no idea what they were getting into, but something told them the least of their concerns would be the chance of snow.

Lex, Alice and Hannah stayed put for several more rounds of Fortnite as Tom moved to the kitchen and eventually went back upstairs. Alice and Lex passed the controller between them, letting the kids have a turn with each round. As the sun began to set Alice gave Lex her phone, letting them check the time more freely. The forecast would keep some people inside, especially downtown near the Starlight, but it was still a Saturday night. Lex knew people were bound to be out late.

It was around 8 when they looked over to Alice, both of them silently agreeing now was as good a time as any. They wrapped up their game as Lex followed Hannah quietly up to their room, Alice trailing behind. They grabbed their jacket and watched carefully as Hannah grabbed her backpack, not trying too hard to figure out why she thought she needed it. Alice leaned against the doorway as the two got ready.

"Surprised you aren't trying to talk us out of going." She pointed out softly.

"They still want to, I can tell." Hannah answered plainly, shouldering her backpack as she faced Lex.

They tossed over her coat from the closet.

"Get that on." Lex ignored her, digging through their desk to grab the pages Grace gave them and tucking them into their pockets. Hannah made a face, pulling off her backpack to slip into her coat. "We're leaving at 10. Whether we find anything or not."

Hannah and Alice exchanged a look, smiling at each other. Rolling her eyes playfully, Alice let Hannah slip past her into the hall, walking back into the room to offer her elbow out for Lex to take.

"Ready?" She asked softly as Lex chuckled, the knot of nerves in their stomach loosening just slightly.

Ready was about the furthest thing away from what they were feeling. It was a sensation Lex absolutely hated, one they had always tried to avoid. Tried to plan around. Something they hadn't been given the opportunity to do since that awful night in the mall.

When everything they thought they knew about what would happen in future came to a halt.

They looked over at Alice, her eyes earnest and nervous. She offered a weak smile that wasn't just out of pity, or sympathy. It made about as little sense as what they were about to do, trying to find a magic knife on a stage that some weird cultists had built almost a hundred years ago.

They hooked their arm through Alice's elbow, pulling her closer and drawing out a familiar laugh from her. It helped settle their growing wariness, just a bit. Maybe they were glad they weren't going completely alone.

"No." They answered her question honestly. Alice looked at them carefully, trying to find more of the truth behind their eyes. They turned to her with a lazy smirk. "But you know, at least it's not the fucking woods."

Chapter Text

The drive downtown was uneventful. The warning for snow earlier seemed more and more likely as the temperature outside seemed balanced on a knife's edge. The wind was determined to change that fact as it gusted heavily with a sharp winter chill. Alice pulled around to the back of the theater, parking the van next to the dumpster and away from any eyes on the road.

Lex made sure to go in first, looking back at Alice as she fell into line behind Hannah.

The first thing they discovered was the theater was empty.

The second thing they discovered was that an empty theater was dark.

Alice held out her phone, switching on the flashlight as she guided them to the back of the building and up the stairs. The small room she led them to was thankfully unlocked and Lex eventually fumbled their way into finding the light switch. In the dim light of the control booth, they could barely make out the murky outline of the black stage beyond. Hannah moved over the switchboard full of controls and buttons, studying it carefully as Lex kept their eyes on the dark theater.

"Alright." Lex spoke up, causing Alice to jump with the sudden noise. "So... what now?"

"Hannah said we need to get you closer right? What if you tried reaching for it-"

A deep click echoed throughout the booth and building as the hum of electricity powered on the lights above and on the stage itself, blinding them all temporarily as their eyes struggled to adjust to the new level of light. Blinking spots out of their eyes, Lex stared ahead. Fully seeing the empty wooden stage somehow felt more eerie then when it had been completely obscured. Lex looked down at Hannah, her finger still on the switch that powered the lights. They didn't ask how she knew which one would work. Their hand found the top of her head, peering out the window in front of them and towards the stage.

"I'm guessing we've got to go down there?" They asked, feeling Hannah nod. They took a deep breath, looking over at Alice as both of them seemed reluctant to move. "What are my chances that you two will just stay up here?"

Hannah took their hand off her head, holding it tightly and pulling them through the booth and out the door. Lex looked over their shoulder at Alice for any help and watched her eyes sparkle in amusement.

"A fucking no would work to." They rolled their eyes, hearing Alice's soft laughter as they carefully moved down the steps.

The wind outside picked up in a gust, the roof groaning with age above them. They kept their eyes peeled for anything that might work as a hiding space. A loose board, a trap door.

Anything.

Their sister seemed to know where she was going as she continued on without stopping, pulling them up the side steps and onto the stage itself. Stepping under the overhead lights, Lex felt the heat from the lamps, smelled the dust as it gently burned away. It was only a slight comfort, not quite enough to chase away the dread building on their shoulders. Hannah let their hand drop, taking a few careful steps forward and studying the planks beneath them.

Lex looked out into the seats, scanning carefully for any eyes, anything hiding in the shadows. They half expected to catch sight of one of the small symbols that had been on the top of the plans Grace had shown them. Looking around at the worn red seating, the foggy lights under the stairs and dotted between the rows of seats, it didn't seem possible that this theater was built over a hundred years ago. Didn't seem possible that it had been built by the same people who worshipped the very gods that wanted them dead.

"There." Hannah said softly. Lex looked back at their sister who was now pointing at a spot several feet in front of them.

Squinting, Lex couldn't immediately see any difference between the spot on the ground she had picked and the rest of the stage. Scratches covered almost every inch of the wood, natural scuffs over years of use. They didn't know what they were expecting to find, still trying to search for burn marks, or knife indents or any other hint that someone had been killed here.

There was nothing to indicate this was where something had been hidden. Lex scowled, taking a step forward before Hannah quickly grabbed their arm, pulling them back with a surprising strength.

"Don't!" She squeaked, her eyes tracing an invisible line in front of their feet. "It's an altar. It's how he trapped her."

"Wait, like the things Grace mentioned?" Alice asked, peering around the backstage curtain she was snooping behind. She stood up, flashing a smug smile. "Ha! I knew the Waylons built this place."

"Your dad knew." Lex clarified, receiving a dry glare in response. "Fuck, maybe we should have brought her along. Something tells me that girl would know the best way to find a buried body."

"She's not buried." Hannah corrected them quietly.

Kneeling down, the old boards creaked underneath her as Hannah quickly pulled off her backpack. She shuffled through it silently before pulling out Ethan's old hat.

Lex's stomach dropped at the sight of it. Their sister held it out to them, seeing them freeze.

"You have to take it. It was hers." Hannah explained.

"Hannah..."

They didn't move.

It wasn't that Lex didn't believe her. It may have belonged to this mysterious woman, this person who was supposed to help them, but it was also Ethan's. That stupid piece of shit was the last thing he ever gave them, and Lex knew better then to go anywhere near it.

Almost as if reading their thoughts, Hannah stood, lifting on to her toes as she set it on top of their head. Lex felt a lump grow in their throat as they adjusted the bill to rest further back, making sure it didn't block their view. They didn't take it off, feeling the warmth it brought. Remembering the way Ethan had flicked it around in his hands, trying to come up with some way to reassure Hannah that everything would turn out fine.

"If this works," They sighed heavily, not able to look at Hannah, "she better not want it back."

Maybe this time, his words might hold true.

Hannah smiled at them as she looked back to the center of the stage. Lex looked over their shoulder, watching as Alice walked closer to them. Their eyes flicked to Hannah before turning their head just slightly. Towards the exit. Alice nodded, a reluctant understanding.

If anything happened from here, she would take Hannah and run.

"Alright you." Lex turned and smiled down at their sister with a confidence they didn't feel. "Might as well wait in the audience. See if I can actually put on a show."

The wind gusted once more, drawing everyone to stare up into the rafters, the force of it causing dust to stream down in murky ribbons. With a quick hug, Hannah did as she was told, moving to join Alice about midway up the rows of seats. Neither of them took a seat, watching. Waiting.

Tucking their hair out of their face, Lex took a deep breath. They turned back to the spot Hannah had pointed out earlier. Their stomach twisted as they moved past the 'line' she had pointed out, suddenly no longer able to feel the warmth from the lights above. Even if there wasn't a body here, the air around them began to feel wrong. A faint scent of an acidic sweetness drifted past their nose, causing their hair to stand on end.

Closing their eyes, Lex was eager to get whatever came next over with. They lifted their hand up, closing their eyes as they imagined the image of the blade. The way it's dark color almost seemed to bleed through the page. They imagined the heft of a knife capable of ending a life, imagined the sharp symbols carved into the handle.

Almost as if they were only reaching out with the just the tips of their fingers, Lex felt something brush just past their reach. They opened their eyes, looking down at a singular unremarkable board, a few short feet in front of them. Unable to tell why, they felt a cold sweat bead on their back. For a moment they imagined a flash of scarlet blood, oozing deep into the wood below. Then as suddenly as it appeared, the vision was gone, leaving behind the overwhelming and nauseating smell of rot.

Gritting her teeth, Lex shook their head. Their jaw set as they moved stiffly forward, getting closer to what they had seen. To reaching wherever it was the blade was stuck.

"Lex?" Alice called, her voice soft.

"I'm fine." Lex growled quickly, still looking at the floor, waiting for the board to change again. The acidic scent from before was stronger than ever. It rose in the air like a twisted perfume, meant to hide the decay beneath.

Outside, the start of rain began to fall, the patter echoing throughout the empty theater, only broken by the gusts of winds that caused the entire place to protest. Lex performatively rolled their eyes. The world seemed to want to pull out all the cliché's for tonight.

They wouldn't be surprised if a crash of thunder would follow the moment they actually found anything.

Lex knelt down in front of the board they had seen change, taking a deep breath. They closed their eyes again. As they did, the air around them shifted once more. The storm outside faded as did the sound of the steady buzz of lights above them. They could feel the boards of the stage lose the polish they had, the now splintering wood digging sharply into their knees. It creaked under their weight, threatening to snap in age. The entire place felt cloaked in a thick dust. It stuck to their skin and swarmed their lungs as they felt the space around them shift and change. The theater around them aged beyond their years, everything around feeling barren and empty and hollow.

Everything turning to rot.

Lex reached forward, pushing past the very air that made their skin crawl. Their hand closed around a freezing handle, the designs carved into it sharp and jagged. It caught and clung to their skin, pulling painfully at their dry callused hands.

The knife finally felt like it was right in front of them.

The smell of decay rushed forward, immediately overwhelming their senses as they all but choked in the heavy air. The blade remained frigid in their hand, sending a shiver down their spine. Lex pulled back, eager to escape whatever new hell was around them, afraid to open their eyes and lose what they had been searching for.

The Black Blade refused to budge. The skin of their palm burned as the designs pressed painfully into their hand, forcing them to adjust their grip. No matter how they grabbed it, the handle was covered in the same sharp symbols, each position just as painful as the last.

It wasn't meant to be used with a cost.

A familiar, sharp, sweetness cut through the overwhelming smell of decay as Lex felt their chest heave in a silent gag. It burned their nose, irritated their lungs and throat. Like a sour apple that had been cut, the acid left to bleed out into an open wound. Biting their cheek, Lex surrendered, gripping tightly to their only hope as they yanked backwards, feeling their skin tear as the blade was finally wretched free from whatever it had been stuck.

Their eyes flew open, coughing out the dust that had entered their lungs as they found themselves thankfully back in the same theater they had entered. The rot that had been around them earlier was completely gone. In their hand was the spitting image of the drawing they still had tucked into their pocket. Despite the blinding glare from the lights above them, nothing reflected from the material. Unable to tell if it was metal or stone, Lex could only see that it was a dull, haunting black. A black that seemed to eagerly consume any light that came into contact with it. The blade itself was sharpened to a wicked point, the handle covered in symbols and imagery that seemed to almost twist and move the longer they stared at it.

Tearing their attention away the knife they had finally, successfully, summoned, Lex's eyes fell to the floor that had previously been empty only seconds before.

There was a small gasp of horror from the audience as all eyes in the theater fell to the body that was now sprawled directly in front of Lex.

The woman in front of them was dressed in bell-bottom jeans and a bright purple shirt, almost completely stained in dried blood. Her bright red hair was blown out in a style Lex had only seen in pictures from the 70s or 80s. The flash to the past wasn't the most shocking thing about the woman. That belonged to the large gaping wound in the woman's chest, the hole matching the exact size and shape of the blade currently held in their hand.

"Fuck, fuck." Lex yelped, quickly pushing back and stumbling to their feet.

As they did, their blood began to work its way through the complicated symbols carved into the handle of the now obvious murder weapon. It oozed slowly down the blade as they watched the wound on the woman's chest slowly begin to close. Flesh stitched itself back together underneath the torn fabric of her shirt as the body's pale skin slowly began to regain its color.

In seconds, the woman's eyes opened with a loud gasp.

She bolted upright, sitting up completely straight as Lex's hand gripped tighter into the painful symbols of the handle. The sinking pull of their stomach grew heavier and heavier as the air around them shifted in anticipation, alight with expectation. A hunger. Almost immediately the woman looked over at Lex, her eyes locked on the knife in their hand.

"I swear, I didn't-"

"The Blade, give it to me!" The stranger said suddenly, lunging forward as Lex pulled the weapon away from her reach.

As they did, the blood on the handle slipped its way onto the blade itself, running down the spine of the knife as gravity pulled it along.

Like an audience on the edge of their seat, the world seemed to hold its breath.

"I don't think so, lady. Just who the hell are you anyways? Where did you even come from?!" Lex snapped as the woman frowned, her eyes still locked on the weapon.

"No time, I'm going to have to insist you give it to me." The woman said purposefully, her voice seeming to echo in Lex's ears.

As it did, they felt their entire body relax for just a brief moment before it was pulled sharply forward. Unable to stop, Lex's arm lifted on its own, reaching out and tilting the blade to the side. The woman quickly leapt to grab it from their hand, her own hand cupping underneath it as she did. A single drop of crimson blood dripped harmlessly from the tip of the knife and into the woman's waiting hand as the tension that had been so tightly suspended in the stale air of the old theater was finally cut.

The building almost heaved in an ancient sigh as the wind continued to gust outside. Lex's body was released from the its spell as the woman breathed out a heavy cough, wiping her mouth. Her eyes met Lex's as her head tilted towards their hand.

"That's not going to stop any time soon, so we'll need to wrap it up with something." She said, her voice kinder than it had been before, even though her gaze was still sharp. "Whatever you do, do not bleed on the stage." She finished plainly, wiping the rest of the blood off the knife and carefully onto her jeans.

Lex stared at her with wide eyes as they cupped their injured hand, making sure to hold it close to their stomach. They chanced a glance to the audience as they watched Alice subtly move to put Hannah behind her. Her eyes were distrustfully watching the woman who only moments ago was lying dead on the stage.

"What the fuck did you just do to me?" Lex growled, stepping in front of the woman as she moved to leave.

The stranger seemed unbothered at the question and anger behind it as she looked around her.

"I had to make sure you didn't end up trapping us both here." She explained, her eyes landing on Alice and Hannah. "And now I see we have an audience."

"Right now your biggest problem is in front of you." Lex threatened, their hand clenching into a fist.

The woman let her attention get pulled back to Lex, smiling with a gentle recognition in her eyes. Behind the tired exasperation, there was a genuine kindness.

It set their nerves on edge.

"Can we at least get off the stage first?" She asked with strained patience. Lex's body tensed, waiting to be puppeted around again.

The feeling never came.

Lex glared, gesturing with their non-injured hand as they stepped back.

"You first."

Nodding, the woman took slow and deliberate steps past them. She turned back to Lex the moment she crossed the line they had earlier, her brow furrowing. Ignoring her curiosity, Lex eagerly moved out of the 'altar' next, finally feeling the sickening pull in their stomach leave as the air around them no longer felt charged. The warmth of the lights above finally chased the chill that had been coming off the blade. Moving to the edge of the stage, Lex sat with their legs hanging off it, still watching the woman carefully. Pulling what looked like a scarf from her back pocket, she gingerly began to wrap the Black Blade into it, careful to ensure all parts were covered.

"How did you know to find me there?" She asked Lex, not looking up from her work.

They scowled, knowing exactly what the woman was really asking. They remembered the heavy scent of decay, the acidic sweetness that swarmed their senses as they were pulled to wherever the blade had been buried. They both knew that any normal person wouldn't have found anything up on that stage.

"Maybe bother answering any of my questions first, then we can talk." Lex shrugged, their voice clipped.

The woman sighed, sliding the wrapped weapon into her pocket as she made her way down the steps.

"You can call me Miss Holloway." She answered cordially. "And something tells me you already know exactly what I did back there."

"How do I know you won't just do it again?"

"Hopefully I won't need to." Holloway looked back to the stage. "The altar is powered by spilled blood. The blade is designed to draw that blood. If I had waited until you were ready to listen, it would've been too late."

"Next time, explain first." Lex warned lowly, jumping down from the stage as they heard Holloway sigh.

"She doesn't like to explain." Hannah spoke up quietly. "People forget."

Lex froze, watching Holloway turn to Alice and Hannah, now making their way down from the upper seats and to the base of the stage. Holloway studied the young girl, smiling at her warmly-

"I was told to find you." Lex spoke up, drawing Holloway's attention back.

"Not quite what I asked." Holloway said simply, looking around her once again. Outside the rain seemed to pick up as the wind caused the building to creak and groan in the night.

Holloway seemed to take in a deep breath, closing her eyes peacefully, her chest falling in a deep exhale. For a moment, Lex wondered if the wound that had been there before still hurt. If she still felt the blade that had been stuck in her heart.

"Are you girls hungry? I might know somewhere we can talk." Holloway asked after a moment.

Alice brought Hannah closer, moving quietly to stand next to them. Wrapping their arm around Hannah's back, and forcing a small smile to their face, they turned to their sister.

"Whatcha thinking Banana?" Lex asked gently, knowing Hannah had been studying the woman since before they had even found her.

Hannah paused, looking up at Lex and Alice before looking over at Holloway.

"She knows Duke." Hannah whispered.

The woman's eyes sparkled just slightly as Lex heard Alice take a sharp inhale, trying not to let their own surprise show. Gently removing Ethan's hat from their head, they caught Holloway's face as it changed just slightly, clearly recognizing it. Lex set it firmly on their sister's head before turning to Alice. They saw her studying Holloway carefully, her shoulders more relaxed then they were before. After a moment, she gave them a quick nod, despite her eyes still showing the nerves underneath.

"If you're paying." Lex turned back to Holloway with a shrug.

The once-dead woman grinned wide as her green eyes sparkled with mischief.

"Now, is it really paying if you own the place?"

***

Lex fiddled with the make-shift bandage they had applied in the van. Grimacing they saw that the cut on their palm had already bled through. They adjusted the tape, making sure the paper towels were pressing more securely to their hand and shivered as their clothes began to dry in the cool air of the abandoned diner.

Alice looked around them with wide eyes.

"I can't believe this place used to be a restaurant." She breathed quietly. "Everyone always thought it was someone's old crack house that got ditched."

Hannah reached down and swiped a finger over a nearby table. Pulling it back revealed a dark smudge left on her fingertip.

"I can't believe I thought we were actually getting food." Lex grumbled.

"Ok, so maybe it has been a little longer than I thought..." Ms. Holloway admitted.

She started to head to the counter in the front as Lex took a good look around them. It was easy to understand where the lady got her fashion. The entire place was themed after the bright obnoxious colors of the 80s. It was complete with the cherry red booths, adorned in a slick silver trim. The flooring was black and white checkered and collectables from the decade gathered dust behind a murky glass display cabinet.

Lex felt their heart drop, recognizing some of the toys Frank was such a nerd for. They knew he would've died inside, seeing the dust gathering on their unopened boxes.

Holloway returned from her trip to the back, an apologetic smile on her face.

"Well, everything in the kitchen has gone bad."

"I knew it." Lex rolled their eyes.

"But," The woman said quickly, "I'm working on getting some fresh ingredients right now. If you ladies wouldn't mind helping me clean up, I promise I can get pancakes going within the hour."

Turning back to the window, Lex watched the rain outside fall in steady, heavy sheets, the mist that kicked up from the pavement hung heavy and low in the cold air. The temperature had only dropped from when they first left. Snow was coming, it was only a matter of when.

They rubbed at their neck, as they let out a heavy sigh. They still had so much they had to get answers about.

"Whatever, just tell me what needs cleaned." Lex growled, moving towards the counter where Holloway was now producing dusty cleaning supplies from a cabinet.

"Excellent, then you can help me in the kitchen." Holloway said quickly, tossing Lex a rag and some spray. She turned to the others. "If you two want to just wipe down where we'll be eating. I don't think we need this whole place spotless."

Alice turned to Hannah as she stiffly moved to grab some wipes, still careful to give Holloway a wide berth.

"Where do you want to sit?" She asked as Hannah looked around carefully. She pointed to a booth in the corner. The one next to the centerpiece of the whole diner.

"Great choice." Holloway smiled, her eyes shining in the low buzzing lights of the restaurant. "Just take care around the jukebox. One could say it means more to me than life itself."

The joke and the added wink had only Hannah smiling. Both Alice and Lex stared at her, a point which seemed not to bother Holloway as she swept her way into the back. With a slight scowl, Lex followed the woman through the swinging door and into the kitchen beyond.

The back room and appliances already looked in better condition than the main room, less dust gathered in the corners and lined the countertops. Lex moved to the stove first, spraying down the burners as they carefully wiped away what dirt had been gathered. It was an awkward process, having to use their non-dominant hand to scrub, not wanting to imagine how disappointed Becky would be if they got their cut infected.

Not particularly wanting to explain how they even got it in the first place.

"So..." Holloway spoke up after a moment.

Waiting for the woman to finish her thought, Lex rolled their eyes.

"So, what?" They asked irritably.

"I was hoping you would tell me your name."

"Why? Need it for another spell?" Lex growled, moving to scratch away at something sticky.

"I need it so I don't have to refer to you as 'grouchy teen' the entire night." Holloway replied, unaffected.

"Excuse my suspicion."

"Are you really not going to tell me?" Holloway asked, pushing past Lex's sarcasm as she moved to the sink and flicked it on. The water sputtered in sporadic bursts as it struggled to move through the pipes.

"I can tell you that you have to drip the water first, if you want it to stop doing that." Lex suggested dryly, moving to spray and wipe down the counterspace around them.

Feeling Holloway's eyes on their back, Lex heard the water shut off and squeak back to life in a slow, unsteady drip. Once it picked up to be constant, they spoke again.

"Alright, you should be good to up it a bit."

Holloway followed their instruction, turning up the faucet just barely as the drip turned into a steady stream. The process was familiar to them. They were more than used to shitty water pressure, flickering lights. Used to making it work the best they could.

"Now just leave it for a few minutes and hope no one turned off your water." Lex instructed, looking over to the sink as they watched the water carefully. It didn't seem to slow, clearly still running from somewhere. The lights above hummed quietly.

Despite having clearly been gone for some time, someone had been paying the utilities at Miss Retro's.

"Just how long have you been gone anyways?"

"I suppose that depends on the year." Holloway mused, moving to grab a pan, a few bowls and plates from where they were sitting on a shelf.

Lex finished up the spot they had been working on, tossing the spent rag next to the sink as they rested their back against the counter.

"2018." They answered plainly, their curiosity spiking as they studied the woman's face.

"So... about 13 years." Holloway answered as Lex continued to stare at her.

If she was shocked by the news, the woman certainly didn't show it. Lex wasn't as successful.

"You were dead for 13 years?!"

"Now normally it's only a few hours. I suppose the man who killed me really wanted to make sure it stuck this time." After setting everything she had grabbed under the still dripping water, Holloway mirrored Lex's position, resting against the counter. "It probably would've worked too. Nobody was supposed to be able to help, not where he left me."

Lex sniffed, recognizing the way she led the sentence. Knowing she was still looking for an answer.

"Guess I'm just special." Lex replied, not giving one.

"Tell me then, miss grouchy teen, just how do I get you to trust me?"

Lex bristled at the attitude, irritably rolling their eyes as they felt her words roll off their skin uncomfortably.

"Lady you forced my body to do something without my permission. Just because you didn't take that knife and stab me in the back with it doesn't mean I'm suddenly going to be able to trust you."

There was a thankful moment of silence between them as Lex found a spot on the ground to stare at. A million questions rolled around in their head, thudding painfully into each other and in their ears. They felt themselves bracing, bracing for that uncomfortable pull, still feeling the ghost of it back on the stage-

"Fair enough." Holloway conceded quietly.

They both heard the rain pick up outside, almost matching the sound of the water now running freely from the pipes. Out in the diner, a soft synthesized beat began to play.

"At least that old thing still works." Holloway breathed, her voice full of quiet relief.

They thought again about what she had mentioned earlier. Wondered how much a life actually meant to her, if her own never seemed to fade for more then 'a couple hours'. Unwillingly they thought of Ethan's stereo.

Lex shoved away from the counter, moving past the woman as they carelessly flicked the handle of the faucet fully up, causing the water to run without any sputtering.

"Your sink works too." They pointed out plainly, pushing through the door that led back to the dining area.

Back in the main room, Lex caught Hannah and Alice dancing quietly together to whatever cheesy 80s song they had picked out. The lights from the jukebox flashed in time with the beat, creating a unique effect on the cream-colored walls surrounding them. The chill that had been in their bones fell away as Lex watched them. A small smile grew on their face, moving over to lean against the front counter, their arms crossed.

"That thing not have anything more modern?" Lex asked lazily as Alice looked over at them with a smirk, her eyes dancing in the colorful light.

There was a warmth behind them that Lex realized had become a familiar comfort. They watched her for a moment longer, tracing the shadows as they danced across Alice's face. Watched the lights that caught and illuminated her still damp hair, tilting her head back as she rolled her eyes at Lex's comment.

It took them a moment to realize she had even spoken.

"As if that weird acoustic stuff you listen to is any less dorky." Alice teased back, a delayed echo that Lex had to struggle to remember hearing.

Hannah rushed past her, pulling herself onto the seat in front of Lex with a wide smile.

Lex looked down at her dryly.

"And what the fuck do you want?" Lex asked, their eyebrow raising as they successfully earned a giggle.

Hannah made a face as she gave the question some genuine thought.

"I'll take the usual." She answered confidently, breaking their act as Lex rolled their eyes and smiled.

Alice made her way over to both of them, pulling herself up on the stool beside Hannah.

"The usual would normally mean a slice of my homemade pie." Ms. Holloway explained softly, pushing through the swinging door as she walked up behind Lex. "I just stuck with something fast and simple tonight."

"How are you planning on cooking anything when all your shit's been expired for years?" Lex asked pointedly, still hearing the sound of water running in the kitchen.

"Oh, I've got my ways." Holloway smirked, purposefully being vague as Lex scowled at her.

"More magic?" Hannah asked eagerly, her eyes wide.

Through the dusty windows of the diner, two bright headlights illuminated the rain and icy mist in cones of yellow light as they swerved into the parking lot.

"Not exactly." Holloway shrugged with an eager smile. "Just a favor."

They followed the car as it came to an abrupt stop right under the window of the diner. The lights cut as they all heard the thudding echo of a car door opening before immediately slamming shut, the driver clearly in a hurry. Lex pulled back from the counter, their back straightening. Looking around, they realized just how trapped they were. They didn't know if the place had any back exits, all too aware of how both Alice and Hannah were on the other side of the counter. They didn't even have the knife they set out to find in the first place-

The front door slammed open, interrupting Lex's spiraling thoughts as she stared in shock at the newcomer, not expecting it to be a face they recognized. Dripping from the rain, the man clutched a plastic bag full of boxy ingredients as his eyes searched and found Holloway immediately.

"Where have you been?" Douglas Keen breathed heavily as he let the door slam close behind him, standing frozen in the puddle he had brought with him.

"Later Duke." Holloway smiled patiently, moving past Lex as she calmly approached him.

As she did, Lex couldn't help but notice how much lighter her steps seemed. Duke, on the other hand, stared at her like she was a ghost. He barely reacted as she gently took the bag from him. As soon as she stepped away, he suddenly found his voice again.

"Later?" W-what do you mean later?! It's been years-"

"So explanations can wait another couple of minutes." Holloway interrupted patiently. She gestured behind her to the 3 people huddled around the counter. "I owe these lovely ladies some dinner and some answers. Why don't you join us?"

Duke finally seemed able to tear his eyes off the woman as he looked between the others gathered on the dark and stormy night. His eyes found and met with Lex's.

Blinking, he took a few steps forward, looking between them and their sister as Lex's hands clenched at their side, a spike of pain as their fingers dug past the soaked paper towel and into their cut. They waited for him to say something.

"Lex?" He asked, his voice cracking just slightly.

"Duke." Lex greeted him stiffly.

"What are you doing still in town? Didn't Pam leave during the riots?"

Lex's jaw tightened, their nail dug further into their cut. Their entire body was on alert, all too aware of the counter that separated them from their sister.

"She did."

In the stiff silence that hung between them, Holloway cautiously made her way back across the diner. After a moment, Duke sighed, slicking his hair back as he flicked the rain water from it. Lex saw that it had grown a fair bit longer then the last time they spoke, his eyes were darker, more tired. He gave them a sympathetic look, unable to muster up his normal smile.

"Lex, we talked about this. With your record-"

"We did talk about it, but we aren't now." Lex growled quickly, their eyes flicking over to check on their sister.

Hannah was watching them both with wide eyes.

"Ook." Miss Holloway announced carefully, thankfully reading the tension correctly as she drew attention back to herself. "Duke, why don't you keep these two company while I take this one back to the kitchen to get our food started."

Holloway gently touched Lex's shoulder, both of them surprised when they let her. Forcing themselves to relax with their hand still clenched tightly, Lex turned to Alice.

"Make sure he doesn't take off with my sister." They growled, ignoring the withered stare Duke shot them in response. Their voice dropped to an almost whisper, meeting Alice's eyes carefully. "Please."

Alice nodded quickly, scooting in closer to Hannah. Lex let out a single loud and purposeful sigh before following Holloway into the kitchen. They heard as Duke finally seemed to make his way through the diner, his boots squeaking against the floor.

"Alice, does your father know where you are? Does your mother?"

Holloway chuckled, moving towards the sink, her steps still light. She looked more relaxed then she had all night. Completely opposite of how Lex felt.

"Can't help but work, even when he's supposed to be off." She sighed quietly.

Finally flicking the water off in the sink, she set aside the ingredients Duke had brought onto the counter. Lex could see how familiar each movement was to the woman as she swiftly plucked a frying pan from where it had been hanging on the wall and tossed it into now full and soapy basin. The steam that rose in the cool air followed her gently as she moved to dig through a nearby drawer, pulling out several of the utensils they'd need.

"Would've been nice to have a heads up someone else would be coming tonight." Lex growled stiffly, turning to grab a new sponge they had spied on a shelf earlier.

Tearing off the packaging, they tossed it to the side as they pushed past Holloway to pluck the dishes out of their soak and start scrubbing them. The longer the night went on, the more Lex found themself regretting taking Hannah along at all. The process was awkward and annoying, working with a single hand as much as they could. However the work itself did help calm their irritated nerves.

"Couldn't risk scaring you off." Holloway shrugged patiently, calmly moving closer as she moved to help take what Lex had scrubbed and rinse it off in the sink next to them.

"Not telling me you called a social worker is a great step in convincing me to trust you."

"And how would I have known that could be a sensitive topic if you don't even trust me enough to tell me your own name, Alexandra?"

Lex froze, the fork they had been washing slipping back into the sink below with a soft plink.

"Fancy trick. Your magic tell you that?" Lex asked stiffly, reaching into the water to grab the next dish.

"I may have been dead for the last couple of years, but that doesn't mean I didn't live in this town before that."

They both worked in tense silence for a moment, finishing what dishes Holloway had grabbed before Lex reached down to pull the drain.

"I didn't realize Pam had another kid." Ms. Holloway said quietly as she started measuring the batter.

"That's probably because she refused to see anyone when she got pregnant." Lex's words were bitter in their mouth, they didn't look at her, still watching the sink. "Surprised Hannah didn't end up dying because of it."

"You're resilient. Why wouldn't your sister be too?"

"She's 13. She shouldn't have to be." Lex snapped, watching as the last of the water pulled the bubbles from the soap down the drain. "I shouldn't have to go find an old, dead lady from a creepy cult theater just to get some answers on why people keep trying to kill us. But, here we are."

The woman hummed as she checked the pan's temperature with the back of her hand.

"I'm starting to understand why you might not trust me." She acknowledged as she poured some of the batter in and finally began cooking.

"I told you exactly why I don't trust you."

"And yet, you're still here." Holloway pointed out.

"Guess I'm that hungry."

"Or you think I might have answers about those people you said are trying to kill you."

Lex tossed the woman the clean spatula still laying on the drying rack, recognizing the way the batter had started bubbling.

"Do you?"

Holloway sighed as she flipped the newly formed pancake, revealing a perfectly golden side.

"Lex, I've been dead for 13 years. I know a lot but you are going to have to catch me up."

"Who killed you?" Lex asked quickly, barely waiting for Holloway to finish her sentence.

Holloway looked down at her work in front of her, taking a moment before picking up the pan entirely and flipping the done pancake on the first of 5 plates. It took up almost the entire dish. She sighed, the tension returning to her shoulders.

"It was a man named Wilbur-"

"Cross." Lex finished, finally seeming to actually shock the mysterious woman as she haphazardly dropped the pan back onto the burner.

It was her turn to look at the teen suspiciously as Lex became keenly aware that they still didn't know where she had taken the knife.

"Just how did you find me, Lex?" Holloway asked, her posture still on edge even as she started cooking again.

"I told you, someone told me to go looking for you. Said you'd help us." Lex answered defensively, turning so that they were leaning against the wall right next to the door.

"You need to give me more than that." Holloway warned, her tone dropping its normal patience as her expression remained neutral.

Lex felt their body tense, once again waiting for the moment they would be pushed or pulled into something they had no control over. Still, the feeling never came.

"Cross came after me and my sister too." They answered quietly. "He and his gods are mad at me or whatever for stopping their plans. He kept talking about my sister like she's some sort of... prize."

They shivered as they remembered, a knot climbing in their throat. Almost immediately, Holloway dropped her guarded stance, even after Lex still eyed her warily.

"Well... if Cross has his eyes on you two, that's not good news." She admitted sheepishly.

"No shit." Lex growled.

"We can get into the rest later. Until then, why don't you run his plate out to Hannah. I'm sure it's probably well past the time you guys normally eat." Holloway suggested, flipping the second pancake on top of the first as she held the plate out to Lex with a smile. "Nothing suspicious about it. You even watched me make it the whole time."

Lex stared at her, taking the plate slowly. Their eyes fell to the woman's chest, right where the wound had been earlier. There was no trace of it now, no mark, nothing to suggest that this woman wasn't even alive more than an hour ago. Lex remembered what Cross had said to them that night on the hill.

He said that he had been blessed.

"You made a deal with them." Lex breathed quietly, taking a step back as Holloway's smile slipped from her face.

"Now, there are some things I just won't be able to answer tonight-"

"Where's the knife?" Lex narrowed their eyes, stopping Holloway as she grimaced.

"Lex, it's locked up. I don't have it and I won't use it." She said quickly.

"It's why you stayed dead. Not the altar." Lex put it together quickly, her eyes flicking towards the door. "You're like him. Normal weapons don't do shit. That's why I couldn’t pull the knife out without being right on top of it. It's different."

Holloway stared at them, her expression thoughtful.

"The reason I am like this," She explained slowly, carefully choosing her words. "I can't fully explain it. You won't remember it if I did. That is just part of the deal. Cross forfeited his soul, that's why he does their bidding."

She paused, waiting for Lex to stop her and when they didn't she swallowed.

"I am still free to do what I want."

"And what do you want?"

"I'd very much like my jacket back for starters." Holloway said stiffly, her eyes hardening for just a moment before they softened. "And, as surprising as it may sound, I do want to help you and your sister. I used to do this sort of thing often you know."

"This sort of thing? Dying then coming back to life to make pancakes?" Lex asked sarcastically, watching as Holloway chuckled, turning back to the stove.

"I mean helping people. Mostly kids. Hatchetfield is a magnet for unexplained things after all. It can be tough, when adults don't want to understand or believe what is actually going on."

Lex's hand gripped tighter to the plate as they looked anywhere but at the woman in front of them. They laughed, a short, bitter chuckle. It worked to loosen some of the pressure that had grown in their chest.

"You helped kids huh? That's how you know Duke then."

Holloway nodded, her smile widening just slightly.

"We make a fairly good pair I think."

"Figures." Lex smiled hollowly. "Grew up in a shithole with an abusive mother and my only friend was a weird spider woman with insane brothers. But I guess I didn't count for needing help." They took note of the way the woman froze, their smile only barely able to feel more genuine. "Something about me being 'resilient' or something, right?" Lex added bitterly, leaning backwards against the door as they pushed through it.

Letting it swing closed on anything else Holloway might've said.

Not that Lex would have listened.

***

Almost 20 minutes later and still under the hour that she had promised, Holloway's eyes were carefully studying Lex as everyone finished eating. Neither of them had touched their own plates, the food having gone cold. Outside the rain continued to pour steadily, the wind still whipping up occasionally and sending it in waves down the street. Someone had kept the jukebox running, the cheery electronic music of the 80s a stark contrast to how tense the air felt inside.

It was Hannah who spoke first.

"We can't give you your hat back. It was Ethan's." She said quietly.

Lex bit their cheek, their eyes darting over to their sister as Holloway's head tilted just slightly. Across the table, Duke was also paying close attention.

"Ethan?" She asked gently.

Lex felt Alice gently snake her hand into theirs, not exactly knowing why they let her take it.

"He was my boyfriend." Lex answered plainly. "He gave Hannah that hat, so I'm not too eager to give it back."

Holloway looked over at Duke quickly, the two exchanging a quick look, one that Lex recognized. Duke's eyes shined with a guilt and sadness that told them he had already heard the news. Maybe that would explain why he hadn't seemed able to meet their eyes.

"Well, that's ok." Holloway smiled gently at Hannah as Alice squeezed Lex's hand under the table. "I'm glad it's found a new home."

Hannah matched her smile with one of her own, holding the hat down gently on her head. Lex watched her for a moment before sighing.

"How are we talking about this?" They asked plainly, softly pulling their hand from Alice's as they set their arms on the table. "And why is he still here?"

"Duke's here so I don't have to answer his same questions again later." Holloway answered as the man managed to pull off a genuine pout. "I have some of my own questions that I understand you might be hesitant about answering, so I thought it would only be fair to go back and forth."

Lex nodded, moving to gently pat Hannah's head, grabbing her attention.

"If you have any questions, you ask them too." They said quietly, smiling as Hannah hummed in confirmation.

"Hold on, do I get to ask any?" Duke asked, turning to Holloway.

Lex stared at him, their body going stiff as Holloway rolled her eyes playfully.

"If you have something for me, then yes Duke, I suppose you can ask it."

To his credit, Duke looked over at Lex first, meeting their eyes as they could tell he had something pressing on his mind. They remembered the difference in Holloway's posture when Duke had arrived, the way that her eyes seemed to sparkle just a slight bit more when she spoke about him.

Lex sat back in the booth as they waited, granting a silent permission.

"Where were you?"

Immediately all eyes fell on Holloway, the mysterious woman they had found dead earlier that night. Resting their head on Alice's shoulder, Lex felt on some level they already knew the answer, curious to see just how much the woman would actually admit to.

"That's... a bit difficult to explain." Ms Holloway admitted hesitantly.

"Off to a great start." Lex drawled sarcastically. They noticed Hannah look over to them quickly.

"The Black and White." Hannah answered softly, seeing the permission in Lex's eyes. She turned to Holloway. "That's where you were stuck."

Lex felt Alice gently lean into them, could practically feel her heartbeat as it quickened. Just something else they would have to explain eventually.

Not that they understood it all that well to begin with.

Duke blinked, looking between the girls and Holloway carefully. After a moment she nodded.

"So maybe it's not that difficult." Holloway laughed before turning to Lex, her eyebrow raising. "Though I suppose that lends itself to my next question. How were you able to find me?"

Lex shifted, trying not to disturb Alice as they reached into their jacket, pulling the folded images from their pocket. They set them on the table, sliding them towards Holloway.

"Followed the Waylons." Lex shrugged. "Hannah narrowed it down from there. All I did, was pull out the knife."

Duke turned his full attention to Holloway, mouthing the word, 'knife?' as his eyes grew wide. Holloway ignored him, staring down at the pages in front of her. She didn't move to take them right away, her eyes flicking up and checking worriedly to the other side of the table.

Lex sat forward, Alice giving them space as they recognized the woman's same guarded posture from earlier. As Holloway unfolded the drawing of the blade, she swallowed before staring them down with sharp eyes.

"Did either of you use a book to do what you did?" She asked lowly, her hands tightening on the edge of the parchment as it creased with the pressure.

Alice sat up straight, freezing in her seat as Lex immediately felt the shift in the Holloway's demeanor. Neither Macnamara or Grace mentioned anything about a book. Looking down at Hannah, they could tell it was news to her as well.

Lex stiffly shook their head.

"No." They answered.

Both Duke and Holloway seemed breathe a sigh of relief as Lex stared at them. Their stomach began to twist with a familiar uncomfortable dread.

"Duke?" Holloway asked gently, turning to the man next to her.

"I thought you took it with you. When you left." He shook his head quickly. "I haven't seen it since."

"Alright, what book? What are you talking about?" Lex interrupted impatiently, ignoring any of the other questions they might have had.

Next to them Alice leaned forward, crossing her arms over the table.

"Those gods that Cross serves? They've had quite a few servants over the years, but none were as truly... well, evil, as Willabella Mukwab." Holloway explained slowly, looking carefully at everyone gathered at the table. Next to her, Duke was also listening with rapt attention. "She's known for a lot of things, but her worst crime was writing the Black Book. Its pages are a gateway of rituals and spells that are designed to connect the user directly to the Lords in Black."

Duke dropped the page he had been holding, all eyes falling on the image of Wiggly's summoning.

"That means all these evil gods, they'd have a connection to our world. Free of charge." Alice summarized, her nails digging into the sleeves of her sweatshirt.

"Not free." Duke said lowly, meeting Alice's eyes carefully. "Everything in it comes at a cost."

"So. On top of the cult, some crazy dude in denim and evil gods we now have to worry about a fucking book now too?" Lex asked, their jaw tight.

"If it hasn't been seen, that's a good sign. I think." Holloway offered unconvincingly. "Lex, you said Hannah was able to help you find me, do you think she'd be-"

"No." Lex growled, stopping the woman short of her suggestion. "You find that shit yourself. The whole goal of all of this was to become less involved."

"Well, hun. I just don't think that's going to happen." Holloway sighed, ignoring Lex's glare. "Not if you were able to do what you did without the Book."

Lex grit their teeth as they stared at Holloway. There was sympathy in her eyes but the woman's face was stony. Their hands curled into fists as they felt Alice put a hand on their shoulder.

"So, what can we do?" She asked quietly. "Lex has almost died 2 times in the last 2 weeks alone. Since the world went crazy for Wiggly or whatever. If you're right, then that Cross guy isn't going to give up looking for them."

She looked over at Lex, her eyes full of that same familiar worry, that same anxiety they had seen earlier. Seemingly reserved just for them. Despite it, Alice laughed stiffly, turning back to Holloway with a thin smile.

"And they already have such shit luck to begin with."

Holloway looked between the two teenagers sitting across from her with a careful eye, a small smile growing on her face. The moment passed quickly as she looked down at the drawing Duke had set down earlier.

"The world went crazy for... Wiggly?" She asked, her voice guarded.

"Right. Dead." Alice sighed, looking over at Hannah and Lex before seeing both of them reluctant to jump in. "It was this weird green doll thing. Had a cult worshipping it here and all over the states. It's been mostly contained though, as far as I've heard?" She explained further, looking over at Lex for confirmation.

They shrugged.

"Government works fast." They offered stiffly, before seeing the question still in Holloway's eyes. They hadn't shared with anyone what they knew about what happened in the mall, everyone had just avoided talking about it. They all attributed it to pure mania.

Webby had told her differently.

Something in Holloway's stare told Lex that she was uniquely qualified to understand what really happened.

"Wiggly chose a prophet here. She was supposed to free him or whatever. It wasn't just a summoning, or whatever. They kept talking about a birth." Lex explained further, feeling Hannah's eyes on them.

"Well... fuck." Holloway said plainly, closing her eyes as she sighed. "I suppose this is what you meant when you said you 'stopped' his plans?" She asked Lex, her mouth a thin smile.

"I just wanted to find my sister."

"I guess he has always been bored of the Black and White. It was really only a matter of time before he tried something like this." Holloway sighed, the words feeling eerily similar to what Webby had told them. She shook her head as she smiled wistfully. "13 years left unchecked and Cross goes and nearly destroys the world. Guess a girl can't catch a break."

Lex stared at her. The music on the jukebox seemed far away as their hand twinged in pain. They could still feel the blood soaking through the bandage. Outside the rain had started shifting to ice as the night grew colder. It plucked against the window with a frequent, almost frantic, tapping.

"What are you going to do about him?" Lex asked lowly.

"Stop him?" Holloway shrugged. "Given how everyone here is still alive and not twisted up meat puppets, I'm going to say you succeeded in stopping Wiggly from getting to this reality. That doesn't mean the bad guys stop scheming though. If Cross is going after you two, there's probably a reason more than just revenge."

"I don't understand why we can't just stab him with the same knife I pulled out of you and then burn whatever book you were talking about. Seems like that would fix a lot of my problems."

"Well, I highly doubt Cross is just going to let me stab him. But you get me close enough and I'll sure try, Lex." Holloway replied dryly.

The window of the diner shook with an intense gust of wind as everyone looked out into Hatchetfield. The night was nearly obscured in the icy sleet that was now blowing everywhere. Lex watched it with a grimace, they knew gravel roads didn't usually get too icy but-

"You all should probably be getting home." Holloway said gently, standing up as she started to collect everyone's dishes. "I never did like talking about all this stuff after the sun goes down anyways. Feels too cliché."

Hannah got up after her, moving to help Holloway clear the table. Lex slid out of the booth next, reaching over and plucking the dishes from their sister's hands as they watched Holloway grab the last of the mess.

"I got these." Lex said quickly, answering the unasked question in Hannah's eyes and ignoring the pout that followed quickly after.

"Perfect. Then Lex, if you would just follow me..." Holloway smiled widely as she moved to take everything to the kitchen.

Shifting the dishes into their free arm, Lex gently tapped the top of Hannah's head.

"Go get the van started with Alice. Make sure we don't freeze to death on the way back."

"Now wait a moment, Lex-" Duke started, scrambling out of the booth as Alice leapt to her feet, placing a protective arm around Hannah's shoulders.

Duke watched the girl's reaction with a grimace, looking over at Lex with a helpless expression.

"I was just going to ask where you're staying." He sighed, holding his hands up in a gentle surrender.

Beside them, Alice tensed, her arm gently tightening around Hannah as she continued to stare down Duke. For as grateful as Lex was, they couldn't help but feel a sliver of guilt. They had known Duke for a little over 2 years now. The system was broken, and they both knew it. Something told them that with the way Alice had never once questioned their concern, she had experience in it as well. Still, that had never stopped Duke from at least trying his best. Letting go of a breath they didn't realize they had been holding, Lex shot him a gentle smile.

"We have somewhere to stay." They reassured him, watching as his eyes instantly betrayed his relief, even as he tried to keep his face stern.

"Are you sure?" He asked seriously.

Before Lex could find their answer, someone else did.

"Lexi's happy there." Hannah told him quietly, looking up at Duke.

This time, Duke was less successful in hiding his emotions as a relieved and wide smile slid onto his face before he could cover it up. Lex chose to ignore it, turning back to see Holloway watching them all carefully. Her eyes met Lex's before she turned and pushed through the door.

Without any more interruptions, Lex followed her, hearing the main door to the diner open and close as Duke flicked off the music on the jukebox. By the time they had reached the kitchen, Holloway had already dumped her dishes into the sink. She was messing with something on the counter as Lex moved to set what they had gathered in the basin as well. They watched the woman warily as they leaned against the same wall as they did before.

Right next to the door.

"We still have a lot we need to cover." Holloway said plainly, reaching down and pulling out a small styrofoam box from a sealed plastic bag.

"Yeah. We do." Lex agreed.

"Feel like coming back tomorrow?"

"How do I know you'll even still be here tomorrow?" Lex asked quickly, their arms folding across their chest.

"Well, I'm not too eager to go back to being a corpse." Holloway admitted packing up whatever she was into the box as she turned to face Lex. She held it out in front of her with a small smile. "I noticed you didn't touch your food."

"I'm broke, not starving." Lex narrowed her eyes.

"Could've fooled me." Holloway replied. "Tell you what, you come back and help me get this place clean tomorrow and I'll even pay you for your time."

Lex tensed, still watching the woman warily as they stiffly unfolded their arms, reaching forward and grabbing the container.

"Just cleaning. You put me in front of customers and it's your business that's going under."

"If you stick around that long honey, I'll just put you to work in the kitchen." Holloway smirked. "Something tells me you've cooked your fair share of homecooked meals."

"Doesn't mean I make a good cook."

"Something we can work on." Holloway replied easily.

A laugh caught in Lex's throat as they shook their head. It had only taken them 2 weeks, but they had finally found a job.

A job working for a dead woman.

"Fine." They agreed, ending the conversation as they turned to leave. Holloway followed them through the door, moving back to Duke as she lifted a hand to wave goodbye.

"Get home safe, Lex."

The last thing they saw of the diner was Duke and Holloway, staring down at the pages they had brought, their eyes darkened with concern.

The wind kicked up almost immediately as soon as they stepped outside. They pulled up their hood to protect against the ice shards pelting into the side of their head as they hurried to the van, climbing into the passenger seat quickly. They moved to pull on their seatbelt, squinting through the window at the pavement on the road. The puddles from earlier had now started to reflect the dull light of the streetlights as the water turned to ice.

"Fuck." Lex growled, trying to work out a safe route in their mind. "The roads are going to be a bitch."

It was far too cold now to walk back, and with the way the wind was blowing, chances were the ice would tear them to shreds before they could make it that far anyways. Looking down at the dash, the clock read 11:23, much later than they had ever wanted to be out.

Not with Cross still around.

They had a bit of money put aside from back when they were still planning on California. The closest hotel was still further then they felt comfortable asking Alice to drive-

"Hannah, how would you feel about you and Lex spending the night at my place?" Alice asked, breaking through Lex's thoughts as they stared at her.

Hannah eagerly nodded in confirmation. Alice simply smiled, slowly pulling the car onto the icy roads. Each turn was taken as carefully as possible, slowing inching their way back towards the center of Hatchetfield. Lex could feel the tires only barely gripping to the pavement, each small acceleration delayed as they consistently spun out before eventually finding some purchase.

"Alice-"

"It'll be fine, Lex." Alice stopped their protest short.

Despite the slow crawl through the thankfully dead streets, they made it back to the Woodward's house without incident. Almost immediately after sliding into the driveway, Bill flew through the front door, rushing out to greet them. Lex tensed in their seat as they heard Hannah open her door to start climbing out. Alice turned to them with a small smile. She reached over and gently squeezed their arm.

"If you can deal with magic dead ladies and weird gods, then you can handle my dad." She warned plainly, leaving no room for argument as she unbuckled her seatbelt and joined Hannah out in the storm.

Lex shook their head, their jaw clenching as they reluctantly followed. They watched as Bill rushed over to his daughter, wrapping an arm around her as he hurried Hannah quickly inside. Holding the door open for both of them, he turned back to Lex.

"Well?" He asked, his tone impatient but not unkind. He gestured them to move quicker. "Pick it up, it’s freezing out here."

With no other choice, Lex found themself moving into the house, under Bill's arm, hoping at the very least he had a spare blanket for his couch.

Chapter Text

Lex kept Hannah close to their side as Bill rushed around in a flurry, escorting them upstairs as he threw open the door to a very dusty and rarely used guest room. They stared at the tiny twin mattress in the center of the room, faintly wondering if it had been Alice's at one time. Turning to ask, they noticed they had been abandoned, the girl having completely vanished somewhere else in the house.

Hannah moved inside of the room, looking around curiously as Bill hovered anxiously in the doorway, standing right next to Lex.

"Have you two let Tom know you're staying the night?"

"With what?" Lex let out a stiff laugh.

Bill sighed heavily, his shoulders at his ears. After a moment he turned, nearly running straight into Alice as she came back up the stairs, her arms and face nearly covered in piles of fresh bedding.

"Alice, what are you doing?" Bill asked, quickly moving to help take some of the load from her arms. "There's already-"

"The last time anyone stayed over was last Thanksgiving. And I know you haven't come in here since."

With another childish sigh, Bill turned to start putting them on the bed as Lex reached forward to take what he had grabbed. He met their eyes carefully, looking between them and Alice quickly.

Lex could feel his hesitance. Could tell he wanted to say something. Instead he summoned a small smile.

"Right." He agreed stiffly. "I'll be downstairs I guess. Calling Becky."

"That afraid of Mr. Houston?" Lex teased, setting the new sheets on the bed while Hannah moved to peel off the old ones.

"No. I just... I don't have his number saved." Bill lied as he left the room, all but running down the stairs.

"And I'm sure that's why he left 10 messages on Mr. Houston's phone that night we had Alice stay over."

"You know, I'm pretty sure most people in this town are scared of Tom." Alice pointed out, helping Hannah take the corner of the new fitted sheet as Lex took the opposite end.

In just the few moments they had been moving around, Lex could see the dust that had been kicked up hanging in the air. It caught the light in a heavy curtain. Finding themselves grateful that Alice had gotten fresh bedding, Lex could still feel the overwhelming heaviness of wherever the knife had been, the dust and decay all too fresh in their mind.

The bed was ready in minutes, the old sheets tossed to a pile in the corner. Hannah jumped up on the bed as Lex grimaced, Alice hovering over their shoulder.

It was obvious they both wouldn't fit.

"Well... I think I've proven that I don't snore so if you wanted to crash in my room-"

Lex snorted, their laugh catching in their chest.

"And have your dad throw me out in the fucking ice? No thank you. Once Hannah passes out I'll go set up on the couch."

"Or you could take the bed and I could take the couch." Hannah narrowed her eyes.

Reaching forward, Lex grabbed a single blanket from the pile of spares Alice had brought up and tossed it over their shoulder. They shoved the rest in Hannah's direction.

"Not happening." Lex waved her off, rolling their eyes. Before their hand could fully drop, Alice caught their wrist. She stared at the shitty wrapping job they had done in the backseat of the van.

"Why hasn't this stopped bleeding yet?" She asked sharply.

Lex twisted their hand in her grip, also looking down at the now soaked 'bandages'. It had easily been over 2 hours since they had cut it, and the bleeding hadn't slowed.

"It's not meant to be used without a cost." Hannah answered.

Alice turned to her and made a face.

"Hate that." She pointed out, dropping Lex's wrist to lock their elbows. "Will you be ok hanging in here for a bit? While we go take care of that." She asked, pointing down at Lex's injury.

Hannah stared down at it, her face twisting in worry. After a moment, she nodded, Lex shooting her a small smile when they met eyes. Both of them knew it would take more than a bathroom sink to 'take care' of it. Alice pulled them into the hallway, gently shutting the door to the guest room behind her. From downstairs they heard the sound of Bill's voice, and his subsequent pacing.

"Well I don't know! All I know is that I saw Alice pull up shortly after it started to get bad. Wherever they were, they must've left as soon as it started to turn."

They paused for a second, standing outside the door of what Lex assumed must've been the bathroom.

"Tell him that's stupid. And dangerous. Have you seen how slick the roads are? Lex and Hannah will be fine staying here for a night." Bill explained stiffly as they were beginning to understand why he wanted to call Becky instead. "I'm just wondering if there is anything I need to be aware of with Lex."

Already they were regretting this, they shouldn't have stayed out nearly this late. Should've gone home right after the dead lady stole their knife. Alice elbowed their side gently, pulling their attention back as Bill started speaking again.

"Not like that." He clarified with a bit of annoyance. "With her neck. You said she'd still be dealing with asthma or those other symptoms you mentioned and if she's staying here, I would like to know what I'm watching for. God knows I don't need Alice any more mad at me then she is on a normal day. Plus whatever Lex did to her hand-"

Bill stopped talking, clearly cut off by the voice on the other end of the line. Alice held her hand up to her mouth, stifling her laugh as she dragged Lex inside of the bathroom, making sure to softly shut the door behind them.

"You're going to give her a heart attack if you keep this up." She smiled, moving to grab Lex's wrist as she started to peel off the tape and paper towels wrapped against their hand.

"This," Lex grumbled, looking down at their palm as Alice finally revealed the shredded skin underneath. "isn't my fault. Fucking handle is sharp as hell. Plus it was stuck in some woman's chest or whatever."

"Well, let's just hope it stops bleeding eventually." Alice shivered as she tossed the spent 'bandages'.

She moved to the closet behind them and started searching it. Flicking the handle on the sink, Lex winced as they held their palm under the hot water and washed away the sticky, congealed blood that had collected. Almost immediately fresh pinpricks of scarlet started appearing the moment they pulled their hand away, the wound still angry and fresh. Without the grime from before, Lex could see all the small details within the cuts, the points of a star and twists of maze-like spirals. It looked like it had torn the design of the handle itself directly into their skin.

Alice hit their elbow with a bottle of rubbing alcohol as she continued looking through the small closet.

"I doubt whatever weird magic shit is making it bleed this bad is going to let it also get infected." Lex pointed out, taking the bottle and setting it on the counter.

"You were literally just complaining about pulling it out of a dead body." Alice shot back, not bothering to turn around.

They kept their mouth closed as they flicked the lid on the container, biting their tongue as they poured out the liquid straight onto the cuts. It burned as they started to rub it in with their finger, the blood still oozing mixing with the liquid as the concoction began to turn to bloody streaks in their palm.

Alice leaned over their shoulder as she shut the closet, her hands full of supplies that definitely looked cleaner than what they had come up with in the van.

"Ew."

"Don't like the look of magic, princess?" Lex smirked, reaching over to grab some toilet paper to clean up the mixture.

"Looks like more of a curse than anything."

Their palm looking a little less disgusting, they held their hand out as Alice unwrapped a pad of cotton, placing it gingerly over the symbols and cuts. It stuck eagerly to the pinpricks of blood that had already started to reappear.

"Just how it goes with me."

Alice held their wrist in one hand, wrapping the gauze she had grabbed around their palm and securing the pad in place. After a few layers, she let it go, both watching carefully for any bleed-through.

"I think it's less you, and more the shit haunting you." Alice said softly.

"Hunting." Lex corrected, clenching their fist as they let their hand fall back to their side. They moved to the door to the hall, listening closely for any sound of Bill.

The last thing they needed was for him to see them coming out of the bathroom with his daughter. Hearing nothing on the other side of the door, they opened it quickly, stepping out and heading straight down the hall to the guest room.

Minutes later, they had relaxed in the quiet of the evening, Bill having gone to bed early after stopping in and checking on them. Hannah was laying on the bed with Alice sitting on the edge while Lex sat on the floor, their back against the door. No one brought up what had happened, what they discovered. They didn't talk about the body that had appeared on the stage. Didn't talk about the mysterious 80s woman or the social worker that had come flying through the door at her call. They didn't talk about the newest piece of the puzzle. Didn't talk about the book and it's rituals that had seemingly gone missing over the years. Didn't talk about the fear that was left unspoken between them.

Instead, Hannah asked Alice about what she had seen in the theater, curious about the systems, the switchboards, the lighting. Alice did her best to answer what she could, eagerly looking up what she didn't. Lex teased them both about being nerds before Alice pointed out they looked pretty happy being the center of attention up on up the stage itself. The conversation shifted to the shows that Alice had seen, the ones that Lex had never had the money to take Hannah to before.

Lex figured now that they didn't have to spend most of their check helping to pay bills, they would have to take her to see one eventually. Watching Alice's smile grow as she went on to explain what she liked about the writing of Peter Pan to Hannah, they figured her sister would want to drag her along too.

Eventually as the night continued to go on and their conversations grew quieter, Hannah's happy hums turned to gentle snoring, indicating it was time to head to bed themselves.

Or in Lex's case, the couch.

With Alice's door shutting closed behind her and Bill's loud snores echoing down the hall from his room, Lex slumped into the stiff couch. They threw the single, thin, blanket they had grabbed over their lap as they shivered. Despite the extra people, the house still seemed haunted by the same absence of life that they had noticed the first time they visited. The empty decorations seemed only to add to the cold they felt slowly entering their bones.

They should've grabbed another blanket.

Turning to the outside world, Lex stared out the window, watching the wind blow the sheets of ice and snow in sharp, twisting patterns across the street. The wind and weather obscured any trace of the homes around them, narrowing their view to only the driveway and cones of light from the streetlights. It set them on edge, knowing how limited their view actually was. Their mind settled back on the blade they had pulled out of Holloway's body. They remembered the flash of fear in the woman's eyes when they figured out just what it was able to do.

Just why the general had told them to find it.

Lex looked down at their hand, the bandages Alice had applied just now starting to bleed through. Lifting their other hand up, they closed their eyes, imagining the feel of the sharp handle in their palm. Looking for it in the space they had pulled everything else through before.

A moment later their hand dropped back down onto the couch, completely, uselessly, empty.

Their jaw clenched, realizing that the only weapon they had against Cross was something they no longer had access to. A large gust of wind caused the walls of the house to shake, Lex turning to face the stairs as they caught Alice silently slipping out of her room. There was a blanket wrapped around her shoulders.

Lex watched her eyes, watched her hesitate for just a moment before moving downstairs. They sat up, shifting over on the couch to make room for her as she sat down next to them. Neither spoke, Alice gently falling into Lex's side as they both turned to watch out the window. Outside the wind from the blizzard seemed somehow less overwhelming then it had been.

Alice's hand snaked down to find theirs, pulling it up and looking at the fresh gauze as small drops of scarlet continued to bleed through.

"We should have asked about this." Her voice was quiet, a whisper.

"I'm not going to die from a little cut."

"Just from everything else."

Lex sighed, their hand closing around Alice's as their arm moved to rest along the backrest. They shifted further into the armrest as Alice continued to lay against them.

"It should be almost over." They said quietly to the ceiling, the words feeling more like a prayer than a reassurance.

Maybe they had been spending too much time around Grace.

"Then what?" Alice asked quietly, almost like she didn't want the question to be heard.

"Then I guess I hope my new job doesn't suck worse than my last one." Lex shrugged, feeling Alice chuckle. "And you've got like, theater college or whatever."

Their answer didn't feel right, the words didn't fit in their mouth like they were supposed to. Lex knew why, knew they were just a bandage, one about as shitty as the paper towels they had found in the van. Only barely able to cover up their real issue.

The fact that they didn't know what came next.

That truth was something new and annoying. It ate at something inside their chest, made their nerves buzz. Lex had grown up knowing they had to be the one that knew what came next. To know what they needed to do just to survive just one more day. They always had to know how to keep moving forward, not just for themselves, but for Hannah. Now their answer felt far away. Like something was stopping them from answering it too seriously, of thinking about it too much.

Black Friday had changed so much of their life in a single night. Maybe it just more of their shitty luck. Maybe it had been building for longer than they cared to admit. Either way it felt like all their plans for the future, their entire life, it had all been burned down. Right alongside the mall itself.

"Holloway can't be that bad right?" Alice's question was a relief to their own spiraling thoughts as she frowned. "If her and Duke used to work together."

Lex hummed, their voice stiff.

"It's hard to stay a good person in a bad system."

Alice was quiet for a moment, both of them just listening to the storm outside.

"I didn't realize you knew him too."

Lex merely hummed again, their jaw tightening. It wasn't Alice that was making them uncomfortable. They knew she probably just wanted to share her own experience. She hadn't ever talked about it, not around Lex at least, but the state of the house, the overbearing father, the fact that Duke had recognized her, it all painted a clear enough picture. Lex found themselves hoping that Alice's experience in court had at least been easier than their own.

"What was your mom like?"

Almost immediately after the question left her mouth, Alice stiffened. She sat up straight, her eyes wide as she turned to Lex.

"Fuck, wait, Lex I'm sorry-"

"She was a bitch." Lex shrugged with a ghost of a smile, stopping Alice's spiral short. They adjusted their blanket back over their legs, immediately feeling the lack of warmth from Alice's body.

Missing it.

"Duke had a different word for it." They continued, choosing to find a spot on the wall to study instead of watching Alice's face. "Called her neglectful."

Their voice was quiet, listening for any sign of movement from upstairs.

Alice was almost completely still. Outside the roar of the wind and weather seemed far away, lost in the way Lex could hear their own heart beating in their chest. Over the sound of it's dull thumping, they heard Alice's breath catch in her chest. Heard her swallow nervously.

"I'm not sure if that's what it was or not. But it's not like she ever held her tongue around me." Lex admitted quietly. "Or about whatever stupid thing I did last."

Lex watched the tension quickly return to Alice's shoulders, recognizing a guilt that they knew she shouldn't be feeling. Rolling their eyes, they leaned forward, sliding the arm that had been resting on the backrest down and around her shoulders.

"Not hard to imagine she wasn't much of a hugger." Lex chuckled, rolling their eyes. "Makes you wonder where I get the patience."

Ignoring the point they had tried to make, Alice fell back into them, leaning further into their chest the way she had before. Lex wondered if it was really all that comfortable as they leaned back and stared up at the ceiling, their arm still around her shoulder. Alice was quiet, patient in her curiosity.

"I guess I didn't really notice it much when I was younger. I think," Lex hesitated, feeling their words as they began to catch in their throat. "I think I had Webby to thank for that."

The guilt in their chest rose suddenly, their eyes burning as the years of spite crawled back up along with it. Lex had grown up, at least at first, believing that they were the one who never had time for Pam. The adventures they went on with Webby always kept them busy. Always kept them shielded from the truth.

"I don't think that woman ever had it in her to love me." Their voice was bitter, it cracked in a way that only irritated them further. Worsened the knot in their throat.

They focused on Alice's breathing instead. For once, it felt completely relaxed. A slow and steady rise and fall. Lex let it dictate their own chest, even as it still felt tight.

"I don't think my mom ever wanted a kid."

The admission was quiet, Lex only barely heard her. They waited, a silent offer, whenever she was ready they would listen. Instead of talking, they watched the storm outside. The wind had finally died down, the sharp ice it was throwing previously turning to full fluffy snowflakes. They fell in slow, drifting sheets down the road, catching the glow from the streetlights in cones of yellow.

They wondered if Duke and Holloway had gotten home. If Holloway still had a home. Wondered if they had left together, or if they were still waiting in the cold diner, worried about the same truths that Lex had been living in for weeks.

"It was always my dad who took me everywhere. Who got involved in school or activities or whatever. Like he was trying to compensate for it." Alice eventually spoke again. "I think the first time I saw her actually try for anything was during the divorce. Guess it would've looked bad to lose custody of your only kid."

Lex's arm gently tightened around Alice, pulling her closer, all too aware of the catch in her voice.

"I always liked Duke. He helped my dad as much as he could and..." Lex felt her take a deep breath, "Well he wasn't the one who gave up in the end."

"I don't think he knows how to give up." Lex offered quietly as Alice leaned her head back into their chest, staring up at them. "He kept pushing for me to get released early. Even when I told him to drop it. I was pissed that he would just get Hannah's hopes up."

Alice laughed softly, her eyes closing.

"Instead he got you back for her." She pointed out.

"Yeah..."

The silence that fell between them was comfortable. In it, Lex finally felt their own eyes grow heavy as they let their head fall back against the armrest. The snow continued to fall in lazy drifting sheets outside as Alice's soft breathing had completely replaced the sounds of the wind. The house felt less empty, less cold then it had before. In the stillness, Lex finally began to drift off. Before falling asleep entirely, they felt Alice shift, standing up gently as she tossed the blanket she had brought down on top of the one Lex had grabbed.

It wasn't as needed as it had been, not after their talk, but Lex was grateful for the additional warmth regardless.

***

It was unfortunate, that in the morning, Lex only had a few precious moments to themselves between waking up and hearing the door to Bill's room open.

"Good morning!" He greeted them cheerily as he came bouncing down the steps.

To their credit, they managed to strangle back the groan in their chest as they summoned up a stiff smile to return his way, watching as he ducked into the kitchen. After a moment more of seeing if they would be able to fall back asleep and instead hearing the sound of Bill jarringly moving things around in the kitchen, Lex reluctantly sat up. Blinking the sleep out of their eyes, sunlight was already streaming in through the window, almost blinding them as it reflected off the white snow outside.

"Tom called," Bill poked his head back through the doorway separating them, "Said he'll be on his way to come pick you two up in about an hour."

Squinting in the morning glare, Lex noticed with some bitter amusement that the plows on this side of town came through early. Leaning forward, they caught a glimpse of the time from the kitchen.

6:08.

Tom normally didn't get up until almost 10 on the weekends.

Bill started to loudly hum some show tune as the racket in the kitchen changed to the soft sounds of food cooking. Lex lifted their hand to their face, trying to rub away the sleep still clinging to their eyelids, noticing with some concern the heavy bleed-through of scarlet on their palm. They stared at it for a moment, turning around to check the couch and blanket to make sure they hadn't stained anything. With a sigh of relief, they inspected the bandages once again. While they had bled through over the course of the night, they weren't completely ruined.

Yet.

Lex knew they'd have to ask Becky to help dress it when they got back, not looking forward to having to dodge the questions the nurse was bound to ask.

Folding the blankets they had borrowed and loosely tossing them back onto the couch, Lex moved their way into the kitchen. Standing over the burner with a spatula held like a microphone to his mouth, Bill's eyes were closed, completely lost in the song he was half-mumbling to himself.

Leaning against the doorway with their arms cross, he opened his eyes and caught them staring. His smile simply grew, something goofy and loose.

Lex returned it stiffly, their eyebrows raising.

"You ever listen to Mamma Mia? One of my favorite musicals." He asked them, flipping whatever he had cooking in the pan.

Their mind went back to the sweatshirt his daughter had stolen, how worn the lettering was on it.

"And you're friends with Paul, how?" They asked, moving over to take a seat at the table as Bill let out an exaggerated groan.

"One day I swear I will make that man come see a musical with me. He likes Emma just fine and she used to be in them."

"Oh I've heard that one. Something about her being the reason he hates them. Villian origin story or whatever."

"I'll tell you what makes a villain origin story. Not enjoying a good performance, that's what." Bill rolled his eyes. "Maybe I can get Alice to ask him to come along with us one of these times. He always did have a soft spot for her."

"Worth a shot." Lex shrugged, leaning forward and resting their arms on the table. Ignoring the thought that it certainly had worked on them last night.

Bill went back to sing-humming his show tunes as he finished up whatever he had been cooking, moving to the cabinet to grab a plate. Lex laid their head on their arms, closing their eyes as they kept an ear out. After a moment, his humming quieted.

"You got any dietary restrictions I should know about?" He asked suddenly. "Not vegan are you?"

"No?"

"No allergies?"

"Not that I know of?" Lex answered, their voice a little more guarded. They sat up and looked at him.

Bill was holding the plate of food up and off to the side, staring down at them critically.

"What about Hannah?"

"Allergic to pineapple. Not the biggest fan of peanut butter but she'll eat it." Lex answered, almost automatically.

"Good to know." Bill nodded, moving forward to drop the plate in front of them.

Lex stared down at the plate of golden, fluffy eggs.

"Fuck is this?"

"This," Bill explained shortly, "is breakfast. Does Tom not feed you or something? You're practically skin and bones."

Fighting against their own building irritation, they bit the inside of their cheek. It wasn't Tom's responsibility to make sure they were eating. Taking a careful measured breath as their stomach annoying rumbled, they picked up the fork. Bill was standing right next to them, clearly waiting to make sure they ate.

Rolling their eyes, they took a bite and watched him smile, his shoulders falling in obvious relief. After a moment more of his hovering, Lex took another bite.

"So. What'd you say that drove Alice into running away that first night anyways?"

Out of the corner of their eye, they watched as Bill flinched. He looked back into the living room, listening for any sound of movement, falling completely silent for the first time all morning. After a moment, he slid into the chair next to Lex.

"Fine. I know I went and opened my big dumb mouth. And maybe I should have waited to say anything, but..." Bill sighed. "Look, Deb was a lot of things. Preachy, pretentious, I know she used way too many drugs, I'm not sure she even knew what being vegan actually meant-"

"Is there a point in there somewhere?" Lex asked, taking another bite of their food and shrugging off his childish glare.

"My point is, Alice viewed their relationship differently than Deb did. I knew they wouldn't work out because I know my daughter."

Lex made sure to visibly roll their eyes in his direction, setting their fork down with a sharp clatter. They had started this conversation with good intentions, thought they might actually be able to see his side-

"And I know she blames herself for why me and her mom split." He finished softly, stopping their thoughts short.

Bill wasn't looking at them, staring down into the table. He was almost completely still besides his leg, bouncing up and down in an almost familiar, frantic, rhythm. After a moment, he tried to summon up a small smile, crossing his arms in front of him on the table.

"She told me once that she didn't want to end up like us." He explained, catching Lex looking at him, his eyes growing just a slight bit softer. "Said that it didn't matter how many problems her and Deb had, she wouldn't 'give up' on the relationship. It ended in a lot of compromises. Things I don't even think she realized what she was compromising on. Or for."

Their appetite was nearly gone as they found they couldn't keep watching him. Watching those soft eyes twist in a grief Lex wasn't familiar with. Instead, they checked behind them looking at the clock on the microwave. It was 6:36, they would have to wake up Hannah soon, make sure she was ready to leave.

They picked up their fork, picking at the food in front of them.

"You know," Lex started slowly, drawing his attention almost immediately. "She's more than capable of standing up for herself. If either of you had bothered giving her a chance to speak for herself-"

"Oh, and you know my daughter better than I do?" Bill interupted, glaring at them sharply.

They met his gaze, waiting for him to see that their point had already been made. When he didn't seem to get it, they rolled their eyes. Finishing the rest of their breakfast in the tense silence Bill created between them, Lex stood up the moment they were finished. They walked their plate over to the sink, feeling Bill's eyes on them the whole time.

"Thanks for food Mr. Woodward." They acknowledged stiffly, moving to head upstairs, all too eager to go get their sister.

As soon as they moved past him, they heard him scrape his chair back, knocking the table slightly as he stood up quickly.

"Fine." He sighed irritably. "What do you think I'm doing wrong?"

Something in his voice had them stop. Lex turned over their shoulder, staring at him, seeing if the curiosity they had heard had been genuine. He was still staring them down, his eyes narrowed. His hands were down at his side, drumming anxiously against his thigh.

"You met my mother. Do you really think I know what the fuck a good parent looks like?" Lex asked him dryly.

Bill's hand immediately stopped tapping. His shoulders fell as his eyes went wide. Lex chose to ignore his reaction.

"For what it's worth, you literally can't do worse than her." They offered instead. "Instead of asking me though, just talk to her. And actually, I don't know, listen for once."

"Of course I listen to her." His reply came quickly, defensively.

"Then why are you asking me the question?"

Bill didn't have an answer and Lex didn't dig for one. They didn't speak another word to each other, them and Hannah leaving to meet Tom out in the driveway before Alice had even woken up.

Tom ended up getting there early, the drive home quick. That was fine though, after all, Lex didn't want to be late for their first shift.

***

Lex parked the car in the lot of the diner, immediately taking note of how it empty it was. Either Holloway had ridden home with Duke, or she had stayed the night.

They weren't sure which they wanted to be true.

Careful to lock the doors of the car Tom had let them borrow, they smiled as they remembered the worry on his face when they told him they were leaving for their new job. The way he had quickly jumped to make sure they had a ride, and when they declined, tossed them his keys anyways. He claimed it was because he didn't want them to get stranded but they both knew that Lex had done their fair share of walking through shitty weather in the past.

There was a reason they always wore boots after all.

As they tossed the keys lazily in the air, walking up the ramp leading to the building, Lex wondered which Tom would prefer: If they got their license, or if they finally got a phone.

The door to the diner was unlocked, something Lex found wasn't intentional as they opened the door to the empty building and got a closer look at the handle. Over the years Holloway had been away, the screws had pulled away until the small handle lock only barely clipped the edge of the wood. Testing it a couple of times it consistently came dislodged with even the lowest of effort.

And apparently the woman stuck in the 80s didn't think she needed a deadbolt either.

Lex moved into the diner itself, slinging off their jacket and tucking it under the front counter as they moved to search through the cabinets. If there was one class they had ever done alright in, it was Shop. Even despite Mr. Houston's lax grading.

Finding a small toolbox tucked under the register, they grabbed a screw driver and set to work fixing the lock. They reset the handle, tightening what was loose and readjusting the doorstop so even if it did come loose again, the lock would catch on the metal before slipping past the wood. Testing it out a little more forcefully and making sure it would hold, they looked up above the door to the bell they had noticed was supposed to be hanging over it.

They didn't know if Holloway still had a key, and the idea of not knowing when someone had walked in had them on edge. At least at Toyzone they knew that Frank would always fly to meet whatever customer would come into the store.

Though, normally it was just Sherman.

Their lungs tightened as the image of him clutching his chest flashed behind their closed eyes. They could still vividly remember the blood as it dripped from his mouth, remembered the sound of his body hitting the floor. Blinking back to the present, Lex forced their body to move, stumbling over to the jukebox as they impatiently hit the buttons, choosing whatever song pulled up first. They didn't care what played, just hoping it would be loud enough to chase away any thoughts or memories that felt like plaguing them.

A song was chosen at random, a chaotic enough tune to dull their senses to as they dragged a stool from the counter over to the door. Standing on it, with the same screwdriver they had used earlier, they got to work realigning the bell to the sounds of all too cheerful music. Once it was done, and the door swung gently into it once again, Lex finally got started on their real task for the morning.

Cleaning away 13 years of dirt and dust.

It was several hours later when their hard work finally paid off, the bell above the door cheerfully announcing the arrival of another person even over the sounds of the 80s music that had continued to play as the morning passed. Lex looked up from the second to last table they had left to clean, meeting eyes with Holloway as she stood in the doorway in stunned silence. A smile grew on her face as she looked up at the bell above her.

"Well darlin, had I known you were going to be here early and do all this work, I would've set an alarm." She laughed lightly.

Lex merely ignored her, wiping down the table and booth they were working on as they heard her move into the diner and set down the bags of groceries she had brought with her.

"Bell sounds better then when I had it first installed." She complimented after a moment, finding a lull in the current song. It was clear she was trying to break through Lex's silence.

They looked up at their fix, smiling just slightly before grabbing their supplies and moving to the last booth they had left to clean. Holloway hummed along to the song currently playing, walking over to the jukebox as she peered at the title it had pulled up.

"Find anything more 'modern' to listen to?" She teased, catching Lex's eyes with a mischievous grin.

"It's less that it's old, more that it's just not my style. The lyrics are bland. Cheesy. It's like people in the 80s didn't believe the fact that the world actually sucks." They scowled watching as the grin faded to a smaller smile. Lex could see that on some level, Holloway seemed to agree with them. They could also see the way her shoulder's slouched, just slightly.

With a sigh, they pointedly rolled their eyes, looking down at the work they had left to do.

"Look. It takes me like 3 minutes to do a table. You're welcome to find something to change my mind."

Holloway's eyes widened as the smile grew wide on her face. Lex waited impatiently as she carefully searched through the options, finding one after only a moment of looking. Before selecting it, she turned back to Lex, studying them carefully.

Her expression seemed... hopeful.

After a deep breath, she clicked play.

Lex turned down to the start work on the table in front of them, staring at it for just a moment before realizing it was already clean.

They blinked.

That wasn't right.

Seconds ago the dust was so thick on it they could still see the drag marks Hannah's finger had made on it last night. Checking the rag in their hand, they found it just a little dirtier than it had been, the spray bottle on their hip just a little lighter.

Lex turned back to Holloway, finding her leaning against the jukebox, a small teasing smile on her face. It looked like she had just hit play. She had hit play, Lex had watched her.

Yet there was no music playing.

Reading Lex's expression, that same teasing smile quickly fell. Lex turned back to the table in disbelief, trying to piece together what could have happened-

"Right, well, this place looks amazing." Holloway announced behind them, her voice kind but stiff. "I suppose that means we can get right into the more serious stuff-"

"What just happened?" Lex cut her sentiment off, their voice low.

They were still facing the table that had magically been cleaned. All too aware of the memory they were now missing.

"I can't tell you." Holloway sighed.

Lex spun around, glaring at the woman as their hand twitched in pain. They had gone almost the entire morning without worrying about their injury. Now it almost seemed to burn, their hand clenching at their side as it throbbed in a dull ache. Holloway merely gave them a gentle smile, reading their frustration instantly. There was a deep sadness behind her eyes as Lex remembered the hope that had been there only moments before.

"Not that I don't want to." She reassured them. "I told you last night, there are some things I can't explain."

As Lex continued to glare at her, Holloway seemed to sag with the invisible weight of uncountable years.

"Things such as you cleaning an entire table to a song that doesn't exist." She added quietly, like it almost pained her to admit. She offered Lex a more weary smile. "I know you won't believe me, but for a moment, it looked like I may have found you a song you actually enjoyed."

The diner was quiet. The sounds of the city coming to life in the early afternoon sounded far away. Lex knew Holloway was somehow telling the truth. They could physically feel the time they had been missing, and it was evident in the way the table had seemingly cleaned itself.

Hannah had told them that Holloway didn't like to explain herself. That people forgot. They slid into the booth of the table they had no memory of cleaning and Holloway followed quietly.

"Let's talk about what you can do."

***

Lex let the drawing they had summoned fall to the table, staring at it as they felt Holloway's eyes on them.

"That," They jabbed at the depiction of the blade on the paper, "is the only thing that has been different. Everything else is just, there, when I reach for it."

Holloway's expression turned thoughtful as her eyes finally fell off the teen in front of her. She studied the page instead, the way she did last night. Lex tried to be patient as they waited, their hand still aching just slightly as they fought the urge to pick at the bandages Becky had applied.

"That makes sense." She nodded with a sigh. "The Blade interacts with the Black and White in more, unique, ways. Something I'm sure you're already aware of."

It was a relief, in a way, to find out their inability to find it earlier hadn't just been a fluke. It was also incredibly irritating as well.

"It's a little easier to see just why Cross and Wiggly have their eyes set on you. Humans aren't exactly meant to be able to just reach through the dimension that exists between time and space." Holloway teased.

"Not like I'm doing it on purpose." Lex growled, earning a laugh from the other side of the table.

"If I describe the Book for you, do you think you would be able to try and reach it? Could save us both a lot of trouble in the long run."

With a shrug, they let Holloway explain what she remembered about the book, getting an idea of what it looked like, what it could feel like in their mind. With the new image formed, they closed their eyes, reaching out into the same nothingness they found whenever they searched for the blade.

With another twinge of pain, Lex winced, opening their eyes as they stared at their hand.

Neither of them were surprised when another attempt came up with nothing.

Messing around with the bandage wrapped around their palm, Lex watched as the spot of scarlet continued to grow, quickly overtaking the white of the cotton pad. It was already almost ruined, despite having changed it only a couple of hours ago. Holloway seemed to notice it as well, looking down at their palm with a small hum.

"Hasn't stopped bleeding, has it?" She asked gently.

Lex shook their head.

"No." They answered, staring down at their palm with annoyance.

They tore off the bandage, grabbing a fresh paper towel to wipe their hand clean as they both watched the patterns continue to ooze. After a moment, Holloway leaned back, her eyes fixed on Lex. Her gaze sharp.

"You need to stop looking for it."

Immediately Lex felt tense. Their eyes narrowed.

"What?"

"I'm not saying you have to fully trust me, but if you don't want to bleed to death you are going to have to accept that I'll be holding on to the Blade for the time being."

Her eyes studied them, landing on their neck before dropping down to their collarbone. Seeing the injuries there. Lex quickly adjusted their shirt, realizing that at some point it must have slipped down their shoulder. The bruising on their chest had only just begun to heal, looking darker and green than it had before.

They scowled, wishing they hadn't tucked away their jacket. Though normally they didn't have an issue with their clothes not fitting.

"The Lords in Black delight on making everything have some sort of twist. A cost. Think of it like a knife they enjoy twisting into humanity. It makes sense that the tools used to summon them work the same way they do." Holloway explained patiently. "I've already paid my cost, Lex. Which is why I think even you can agree it's simply better if I continue to hold onto it."

"Look, if that knife is the only thing able to hurt Cross-" Lex started to growl before they were interrupted by Holloway holding up a hand.

"Weren't you the one who said you wanted to be less involved?"

Lex bit the inside of their cheek, looking down at their palm at the drops of blood that they continued to lose. They thought back to Hannah and Alice, and how annoyingly stubborn they had been, just how involved they had both become. Their eyes dropped to the drawing on the table.

Somehow they had even dragged Grace into it as well.

"I told you last night that the Blade draws out the blood it wants." Holloway interrupted their thoughts. "You have to be the one to cut off the connection, or it will keep pulling it from you until it's satisfied."

As they both watched Lex's hand, the blood on their palm began to pool, dripping down the side of their wrist and staining the paper towel they had placed under it. There was a truth in what she was saying. It felt similar to the way Lex had known they sent Hannah away, the way they could tell Cross was gone.

They could still feel it now, when they concentrated. A distant tugging somewhere in their chest, like something was pulling them back to the space they had found the knife. The dusty and rotten place that existed beyond the stage they had been on. The connection that was created when they had made their own deal, when they chose to pull the knife from Holloway's body.

They knew it would hurt. Knew that decision came at a cost.

They had accepted it's conditions.

The realization made their mouth dry.

Cross was still out there. He had been lying low, but he wasn't gone. He would come for them eventually, get tired of waiting. Without the knife, Lex was helpless to do anything about it.

Their hand twinged in pain.

"How?"

Holloway sat back in her seat, her jaw set, eyes thoughtful. She knew that Lex wasn't asking for simple instruction.

"You said someone told you to find me?" She asked gently, receiving a stiff nod before she continued. "How did you know to trust them?"

"He trusted me first." Lex answered honestly.

It was easy to remember Macnamara's eyes. They had been the brightest part of his appearance. They remembered the way they had changed when he looked at them. Staring at them with expectation, hope. Like they weren't just another failure. That he was sure they would succeed.

They looked again at the woman in front of them. Lex had been told that she stood the best possible chance of flipping the world back to good. The thought caused a stiff chuckle to crack from their chest. Their arms began to itch, a familiar ache from the scratches that had still not faded. Another thing they couldn't explain.

Lex knew they didn't have many options left. Macnamara had saved their life, not only back in the mall, but against Cross as well. If he trusted this woman to put things right, to help them where he couldn't-

To protect what little they had left...

Taking a deep breath, Lex felt the pull within them snap.

Two sets of eyes landed on their palm as they both watched carefully. Tentatively, they lifted the paper towel again, cleaning up the blood that had pooled. After several long seconds of waiting, the scratches began to darken forming the very beginning of scabs.

The bleeding had finally stopped.

"Well." Holloway breathed, looking up and smiling at Lex. "Ain't that something."

"Don't read into it." Lex warned.

"Wouldn't dream of it." Holloway assured them, moving to stand. "But now that you aren't a walking health code violation, why don't we take your hard work out for a test run?"

Lex felt another laugh catch in their chest, staring at the woman in disbelief.

"You want to open? Today? Weren't you just dead like not even a full day ago?"

Holloway simply shrugged, a glint in her eyes as she moved to the counter to grab the groceries she had brought with her.

"The way I see it, we're still currently on the back foot with information." She explained, Lex finding themselves with no choice but to follow her as she pushed into the kitchen. Carefully setting everything away, she continued. "And there's no better way to find new leads than some idle chitchat over a homecooked meal. We'll keep the menu limited, you leave anyone coming in to me and I'll just run you back the orders."

"Just how do you plan on paying me anyways?" Lex asked, careful to keep their eyes on the floor.

Careful to ignore the memory that was trying to surface.

This was just another job. It didn't mean anything.

Holloway turned to them with a smirk.

"You weren't the only one who enjoyed my music." She smiled, that same mischievous glint still in her eyes. "Duke's helped me move most of it those banking 'apps'. Between the two of us, I'm sure we can figure something out."

Despite Holloway's eagerness and the ancient open sign they were both surprised to find still working, Miss Retro's didn't get their first customer for another hour.

True to her word, Holloway went out right away to greet them, handling everyone who came through the door personally. She didn't use a menu, simply chatting with their customers and figuring out their order based on what Lex told her they were able to do. Most of the visitors they had were old regulars, plenty curious and more than excited to see their old haunt back up and running. Nobody seemed to hold any suspicion as to where Holloway had been the last couple of years and every question she did have thrown at her was soothed away with a charming smile.

An echoey voice.

Aside from that, something about her just seemed to invite conversation, able to pick up with people as if the years she had been missing never existed. As if she had never been dead.

Lex watched it all with an amused smile, leaning against the counter as they absentmindedly listened in. In between orders, they found themselves with plenty of down time. Despite that they tried to be attentive, catching as Holloway would occasionally slip, just slightly, looking over to them to help fill in some things she had missed in her time 'away'.

If the townsfolk who stopped in were bothered by Lex being there, they didn't seem to show it, much more interested in the return of Miss Retro herself.

The day went on as they became more and more at ease with the familiar numbness of working. The orders were easy and Holloway ran a much looser shift than Frank had ever. She was true to her word, never making them go out to take or even deliver orders. The jukebox ran throughout the day, playing music that sometimes had 2 or 3 patrons singing aloud.

Occasionally, Lex would hum along too, Holloway somehow always catching them with a smirk on her face. The sun was just beginning to set low in the sky as Lex felt their early morning finally catch up to them. They still had one fairly talkative customer in as Lex wiped down the last of the tables that had been used that day, feeling as the evening naturally drew to a close. Before they could get too comfortable with the idea of going back to the bed that was calling them, they heard the bell above the door chime.

Looking up from their work, they watched as a tall man in a crisp suit entered, his eyes looking around him carefully. Lex recognized Mayor Lauter immediately, looking over to find Holloway still trapped in a conversation with their last customer. She met their eyes and Lex could see the apology behind them.

With no better choice, they met Lauter at the front counter, setting the cleaning supplies they were using in plain sight. Letting him know exactly how late it was. They crossed their arms and waited, feeling him stare them down. His eyes full of the same judgmental venom they were more than used to. As if they were just another speck of dust on his shoe. They took a little bit of joy in the fact that the mayor seemed almost as edge as they were.

The man was left stiffly waiting, his jaw tight as Lex raised an eyebrow. His eyes searched for, and found, Holloway still tied up in her previous conversation. His entire expression changed just slightly as their eyes met, becoming softer, relieved. He turned back to Lex awkwardly, still refusing to sit down.

"Are you going to order anything or what?" They asked irritably, unfolding their arms and leaning against the counter.

Lauter seemed to jump as they addressed him. He shot them a quick and angry glare, catching their attitude before his eyes changed once again. For a moment Solomon Lauter, the most powerful man in Hatchetfield, looked like he struggling under the weight of an immense sadness. His hand drummed on the table as he peered through the door of the kitchen.

"Does Holloway still make her homemade apple pie?" He asked after a moment, turning back to Lex with a small, forced smile. The sadness Lex had seen earlier still evident behind his eyes.

"For you Solomon? Of course I do." Holloway said kindly, walking up behind Lex as she set a gentle hand on their shoulder.

It was a silent thank you, and Lex was all too eager to let the woman take the lead. They hadn’t realized just how tense they had become.

"I assume you'll also be wanting a slice to take home to your wife?" Holloway continued, looking down into her apron as she grabbed her notepad.

The moment she turned away, Lauter seemed to freeze. His shoulders jumped to his ears, his eyes widening. Lex studied his reaction all while Holloway seemed not to notice it. The entire town had heard about the tragic disappearance of the mayor's lovely wife 12 years ago.

But that was after Holloway had died.

She looked back up, her expression immediately melting to pity as Lex continued to stare down the mayor. Their own heart began to race once more as they remembered Hannah's previous and sudden curiosity. This time, he didn't seem to hide the sadness he had earlier, but that didn't erase what Lex had witnessed just moments before.

What Holloway had missed when she looked away.

As they pushed through to the back, getting started on the small order he had requested, Lex thought back to the man's eyes.

Something had the mayor feeling awfully guilty over the death of his wife.

***

They only had one last group come in after Lauter had his pie, notably not taking any leftovers home with him. Lex recognized all the faces from the library. The 3 nerds from before immediately tensed at the sight of them, looking ready to bolt. The tallest one, Pete, looked ready to pass out. He rolled his eyes irritably as he stepped forward, still somewhat guarded about their presence. Lex locked eyes with Holloway pointedly as she nodded.

Like they had said earlier, it was better if they remained to the back. Just cooking and cleaning.

As they waited behind the closed door for her to take their order, the phone at the very back of the kitchen began to ring. Lex squinted at it, a disbelieving chuckle catching in their chest as they realized that it was just another relic of the past. Holloway came through the door shortly after the ringing had started, smiling quickly at Lex.

"Easy order. They're just stopping in to get the tall one, Pete, some sugar. There should be some ice cream in the freezer from last night if you want to go ahead and run him out a chocolate milkshake." She relayed quickly, sweeping to the wall as she went to answer the phone. Picking it off the receiver she added, "After they leave, you're free to lock up."

Lex stared at her, realizing it was the first order of the day that Holloway had specifically requested they run out to a customer. Their entire body felt tense, growing sore as they felt the still healing scratches on their arms start to ache once more. Trying to push through whatever had them frozen, the memory they had been trying to avoid earlier rose too quickly, too suddenly. They moved stiffly towards the freezer, grabbing a new tub of ice cream from the shelf, their mind filled with familiar taunts.

 

'And of course here we have Hatchetfield's newest star waitress with another F.'

'She's going to end up just like her mother. No future, working some dead-end job at a dying restaurant.'

 

Cleaning the machine needed, adding the ingredients they thought would work, everything became a blur. The voices in their head didn't let up. Every time they blinked they saw the same set up as before. Remembered their small room, the game they used to play.

The apron they always stole.

They remembered the promise they had made themselves, listening to their mom loudly complain about her job in the other room. Bitching about how she worked her ass off all for an ungrateful brat. Lex remembered the quiet conversations they had with Hannah. Promising her that things would be different. They remembered sharing their dream with Ethan for the first time. The way his eyes lit up at their smile.

They were supposed to be in California.

They were supposed to escape their mother and everything about the black hole they had been born in. They were supposed to make it…

The finished milkshake shook in their hand.

Lex felt a hand on their shoulder. Holloway's voice sounded far away as she gently removed the drink from their iron grip. It suddenly felt like they were able to breathe again, their arms no longer burning as the memories were chased away the more they concentrated on the woman's voice.

"Does Hannah have a phone?" She asked.

Her voice was calm, too calm. Lex felt it in their ears more than they heard it.

They shook their head.

"What about that girl from last night? Alice?"

Lex blinked, forcing themselves to concentrate. To breathe. As they fell back into their body, they noticed what had changed about the space around them, the item that had Holloway on guard.

Hanging by the door was a familiar apron. One Lex hadn't seen in a long time. One that should've been left trashed in the trailer. Their jaw tightened as they met Holloway's eyes. Despite her gentle voice, her eyes were guarded. Analytical.

"Why?" Their throat felt sore, the knot that had grown in it almost impossible to speak around.

"Call her, get your mind off this place for a bit. I can handle closing up."

"Why?" Lex asked again, their voice clearer, their eyes narrowed.

"Because that is not my apron." Holloway said plainly. "And I have a feeling you know exactly why it shouldn't be here."

Lex shook their head, swallowing hard as they tried to form their thoughts. Tried again to speak. Holloway softly waved their concern away with her hand, flashing them one of her signature smiles.

They distantly wondered how sincere it was.

"You asked to remain in the back and I pushed you outside of that comfort zone. We'll talk about it more after you've had a moment with a safer and more familiar voice than mine." She explained gently, moving towards the door as she gave the apron a noticeably wide berth. Before she left back out to the dining area, she turned. "I still have one slice of pie left, if you want to invite her back. I did say I owed you both some answers."

With a gentle flourish, the woman disappeared back into the diner, her voice apologetic as she started talking with kids from before. Finally able to take a full breath, Lex’s vision slowly cleared, the world around them becoming less and less dark. Shakily they moved to grab their jacket, sliding it onto their shoulders and relaxing into its familiar weight. Their hand went to their pocket, pulling out the same scrap of paper that Alice had written her address on.

On the back she had scribbled her phone number.

Just in case.

Chapter Text

Lex slid into the booth Holloway was sitting in, both of them quiet. The place was empty, the jukebox having been flipped off. Holloway didn't look up as Lex came from the back, looking through her notepad carefully, occasionally tapping it with the back of her pencil, her mouth a thin line. Eventually, Lex's curiosity got the better of them, and they looked over. Instead of the orders they had assumed she had been writing down, Holloway instead had taken notes of everyone's names and mannerisms. There were several scribbled questions in the margins, most of them crossed out, some of them underlined.

They looked back up at the woman in front of them, wondering just who they had pulled back from the dead.

After a moment, she sighed.

"Nothing really of note. Honestly it feels like this used to be easier. Maybe Hatchetfield was just more haunted back then." Holloway laughed softly.

Lex stared at her.

"Still seems plenty haunted to me." They pointed out dryly.

"Well you certainly are." Holloway smiled. "Seems maybe it isn't all ghosts and ghouls for you though."

"If you want to ask about it, just do it." Lex frowned as the woman across from her gave a stiff laugh.

"Alright, let's start with the big one. I don't think there's been an Olsen's in Hatchetfield since-"

"Since they all closed 14 years ago." Lex finished for her. "And my mom never bothered to get another job."

"Ah." Holloway nodded before lifting a lazy finger to point at Lex's head. "Anything else in your dark and mysterious past that I should be aware of?"

Behind the teasing nature of her question, Lex could see that her eyes were once again sharp. Like she was still waiting for something.

"Worried I'm going to pull something scarier than an apron next time?"

"Are you?" She followed up quickly, as Lex found it hard to tell just how serious the woman was.

After a moment, movement outside of the diner caught both of their attention. A familiar mini-van pulled into the parking lot, pulling up next to Tom's car as Lex saw that the sun was well on it's way to sinking below the horizon. The burning orange light almost seemed to set fire to the trees in the distance.

Lex tore their eyes from it and stood up, looking over their shoulder as they moved towards the door.

"You lock it?"

"I did. Noticed you fixed that as well." Holloway winked.

With a sigh, Lex flipped back the lock, opening the door as they flinched at the cold air that was eager to sweep into the warmth of the diner. They watched as Alice quickly made her way up the ramp, ducking inside as they shut and locked the door behind her.

Shaking off the cold, Alice crossed her arms.

"Alright, what'd you do this time?" She asked.

"You didn’t have to come." Lex reminded her.

"How could I miss a chance to see your warm and smiling face?" Alice asked, her face cracking in a small smile before she moved to sit across from Holloway.

Rolling their eyes, they moved to slide in next to her, their hand immediately grabbed as Alice closely inspected the quick wrap they had applied earlier.

"You finally get this figured out?" She asked carefully, her eyes studying the bandage for any signs of blood.

"For now." Holloway answered for them. Alice stared at the woman carefully, checking with Lex as they nodded.

Her shoulders fell in relief as a small, more genuine, smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. Lex felt themselves return it. Deep down, they knew the connection still existed somewhere, and so did Holloway. For now however, they wanted to let it go. It was easier, after a day of work and a more than familiar trauma, to accept that things might stand a chance of returning to normal.

Alice still had their hand, her thumb rubbing absentmindedly across their palm.

"Alright, so… either of you feel like filling me in?" She asked after a moment. "Why'd you call me?"

Holloway caught eyes with Lex, just the slightest hint of a teasing glint in her eyes.

"You know, I like her." She laughed as Alice seemed to sit up straighter at the compliment. "Gotta respect someone who gets right to the point."

"Like it's hard to be blunt." Lex rolled their eyes, gently taking their hand back as they fell back in their seat.

"That's only because you've had plenty of practice." Alice shot back, not missing a beat.

"You just said you missed my warm smile." Lex reminded her, a smirk growing on their face.

Alice scowled at them as Holloway cleared her throat, gently pulling both of their attention back.

"I thought it might be a good idea to have a familiar face here while we go over all that's happened in the last two weeks."

"Okay, but on the phone Lex said something weird happened today-"

"We found out that I don't get to choose when my powers do their shit or not." Lex explained, not caring to dive too deep into whatever that meant.

Holloway's eyes landed on the apron they had brought out and laid on the table across from them.

"Seems your connection to the Black and White may be more emotional then you'd like it to be."

"That's the... weird, between the reality space that those gods or whatever exist in, right?" Alice asked quietly, looking to Lex.

"That apparently no human is meant to interact with." Lex answered dryly, recalling the words Macnamara had used.

"The book, the blade, and the altars were all made to break that rule. Or at least bend it, in a sense. But it's never perfect. Or free." Holloway explained. "Even the Lords in Black themselves need an existing connection, some sort of deal to be made to be able to interact with our world at all."

Lex scowled as they thought about Black Friday, the way the cult had turned from shoppers trying to get something for their kids to so desperately trying to raise a god. Wiggly wanted to run around in their world, to wreck it completely at no cost. Their eyes fell to their hands, remembering the way they had grabbed Dusty that first night on the balcony. Like it was nothing.

No wonder Wiggly hated them.

The silence that had fallen over the diner was broken by Alice's quick gasp.

"The noose." She said quickly, locking eyes with Lex as they sat forward. "Maybe that would explain why it just appeared that night."

"Noose?" Holloway asked curiously, folding her hands in front of her.

"A couple of days ago, after Lex was attacked by that Cross guy we ended up in the forest looking for someone. We ran into a really creepy, weird noose set-up that just appeared in the middle of the trees. Like it was pulled straight out of a ghost story or something." Alice explained quickly, her voice going quiet as her eyes flicked outside at the dusk settling across the street. "Like the one about the witch that was hung there."

"Ok, but I wasn't thinking about a witch or a noose at that time. I was irritated that we had to go so far into those stupid woods in the first place and wanted to go home."

As much as they didn't want to admit it, Lex had been thinking about that old apron from the moment they came to terms with just what their new job might entail. It made sense for it to appear. It didn't make sense for the gallows to appear. They had never cared for ghost stories, never wanted anything to do with that forest in the first place.

"I don't think Lex would entirely be at fault for things just, appearing, in the Witchwoods."

"Because they're haunted as shit?"

"Because," Holloway explained patiently with a dry smile aimed at Lex, "like yourself there are scars that run deep within it."

Lex ignored her, looking at Alice with a lopsided smile that she didn't return.

"So the trees have trauma too." They joked.

After a moment of staring them down, worry clouding her eyes, Alice turned back to Holloway.

"What do you mean?"

"The forest was planted to contain Willabella, the witch I told you about last night. After using the blood of the town's children to write the Black Book, the townsfolk sentenced her to hang for her crimes." She explained grimly. "However, even back then they knew that simply killing her wouldn't be enough."

Lex's smile immediately slipped from their face as their jaw locked. Alice's face went pale. Outside, the shadows seemed to grow longer, darker. Lex found themselves wishing the jukebox was still playing it's cheesy upbeat music.

"They came up with a spell to ensure she couldn't escape even death's clutches. One they would cast with the bodies of their own. They called them gifted. People with powers, like our dear Lex here." Holloway still smiled as she looked over at Lex, her expression stiff. "And Hannah."

It was Alice's turn to fall back into the booth, her body shaking just slightly as Lex found her hand. They gripped it tightly, their mouth a thin line.

"If that apron appeared without you searching for it, simply because something triggered your emotions, then I imagine walking into a forest full of trauma and magic would interact very uniquely with your powers. Especially after the night it sounds like you had."

Fighting back the growing nausea in their stomach, Lex concentrated on the warmth of Alice's hand. Concentrated on her breathing. Even if it was still a little shaky, it was something steadying. Something different then the thoughts, the guilt, the buzzing growing in their nerves. Their arms ached, the scratches still not ready to give up their secrets.

They focused on a different concern.

"So… Willabella, she was like Cross?" Lex asked, their eyes narrowing at Holloway. The second part of their question left unsaid.

The woman smiled, her chest catching in a quick chuckle as she closed her eyes and let the grim nature of her story fade back into the warmth she greeted the world with.

"Cross if he was an old hag, sure." She shrugged. "For as awful as she was, she wasn't afraid of getting her hands dirty. Now old Wiley boy, he much prefers to pull strings from the shadows."

Alice turned her head just slightly, her eyes landing underneath Lex's chin, to their collarbone. To the bruise just slightly visible under their shirt.

"Unless he's going after Lex." She pointed out quietly.

It was with her whisper that Lex found some temporary peace. Whatever was in those woods could stay there. Whatever awful history this town carried, it was all in the past. Lex saw the worry in Alice's eyes, felt Holloway, a complete stranger to them, lean forward with the same concern.

"Well, in fairness to him, I have been told I'm just that unlikeable." They joked, feeling it crack through the remaining cold that had been lingering in the air.

In response, Alice fell against their shoulder with a huff, pushing them both back into the seat. Rolling their eyes, Lex felt themselves relax into it, ignoring Holloway's eyes as they danced in the flashing lights of the jukebox. Their chin fell on top of Alice's shoulder as they closed their eyes, able to feel as her breaths turned relaxed. Normal.

Across the booth they heard as Holloway started scratching something into her notepad. It reminded them of how Frank would take notes of what needed to be done for the next day.

Outside there was the sound of a car door closing. Lex peeled their eyes open as they turned just slightly to glance out the window, their head still on Alice's shoulder. In the parking lot, parked right next to Bill's shitty old van, Douglas Keene was getting out of his own car, talking animatedly with someone on the phone.

Holloway got to her feet eagerly, moving across the diner to go unlock the door as Alice and Lex shared a look. They both recognized the very real and very excited smile she had tried to hide. Turning just slightly into Lex's hair, Alice hid her laughter.

The bell chimed above the door as Duke's voice floated into the diner.

"I'll do my best to keep an eye out for her but this may need to be a conversation we have when-"

If they were expecting anything to come from him, it wasn't that. His tone immediately had Lex on edge, something they recognized mirrored in Alice's body as she sat back, turning to stare at the newcomer.

"No, I understand." Duke sighed. "It'll be ok. She's just getting to the age they all do."

Holloway guided him into the booth they were gathered at, sliding in next to him as he wrapped up his call.

"Yes, of course. I will call you with any updates I get."

As he swiped away the call on his phone, Duke sighed again, looking up at Alice and Lex with a weary smile.

"This feels familiar." He joked half-heartedly.

"Who was that?" Alice asked quietly, airing the question that was in everyone's eyes.

For a moment, Duke looked hesitant. He glanced over to Holloway, his smile becoming a bit more relaxed as his shoulders finally fell.

"Nothing magical or anything like that." He answered gently. "Just the Chasity's worried about their daughter. Not like I think Grace would ever get into any of the trouble they seem so terrified of."

"What do you mean, worried about her?" Lex asked quicky, sitting forward and pulling away from Alice.

Duke cocked his head, staring at them curiously, as if trying to figure out why they cared. Their hands curled into fists on the table.

"Apparently Grace has been sneaking off in the evenings the last couple of nights. They're just worried about where she's going. Worried about her getting involved with the 'wrong' crowd. You know how they are."

Lex felt a sliver of irritation. This felt familiar.

"Sneaking off where?" They asked lowly.

"They weren't sure. Apparently she's been asking a lot of questions about the mayor lately. Mark thought he even saw her heading towards his house." Duke shrugged. "If you ask me, if she is going up there, she's probably just going to visit his daughter. They're both in the same grade, and I know Steph could use the tutoring."

Instead of hearing the rest of the conversation, the topics both Duke and Holloway caught each other up on, Lex stared at a spot on the table. Their mind went back to Lauter's eyes, to the guilt behind the sadness. It went back to Hannah and her quiet admission. Whatever was going on in this town, the mayor had his hands in it. That much was obvious.

It was all the more reason why Grace shouldn't be sticking her nose in it.

Their teeth dug into their cheek as they realized how stupid it had been to involve her at all. They knew she would keep digging-

"Lex?"

Alice's hand was on their shoulder.

"It's fine." They lied.

Their teeth still dug into their cheek. Their hands still clenched on the table. The day only grew later as Holloway, Alice and Duke all discussed the various patrons who had stopped in to the diner, trying to get an idea of where to begin looking for the one piece of the puzzle still out of their reach.

The Black Book.

When the evening turned to night, Duke's phone buzzed loudly against the table, calling everyone's attention. He looked down at it, frowning as he read the message on the screen.

Lex felt their stomach sink.

"What?" They growled, their nerves still alight.

It was the first time they had spoken in several minutes.

"It's uh, Jerry." He said, his brow still furrowed, as he noticed everyone's eyes on him, he quickly clarified. "Boy Jerry. Apparently he saw Grace heading into the woods next to Lauter's place."

Rubbing their face, Lex could feel Alice staring at them. Expecting something.

They ignored it.

"We opening again tomorrow?" They asked Holloway plainly.

She nodded hesitantly.

"That's the current plan, yes. Are you leaving?" She asked, even though they both already knew the answer.

"Someone has to go get her."

"I'm coming too." Alice said quickly, before they had even finished speaking.

They chose not to think about it. Their teeth dug further into their cheek, the pain lost in the way their arms burned. They ignored spike of irritation that rose in their chest.

"Don't you have homework?" Lex asked, standing up as they grabbed their keys from their jacket pocket.

They could feel still Alice's eyes on them.

"Yeah. Homework I already did on Friday." Alice answered, her irritation slipping through.

That was fine. Better even.

They heard her start to shift out of the booth, turning around to face her, Lex watched as she flinched, her eyes widening at whatever look was on their face. They hoped it would be enough.

"Go home."

After a moment, Alice shook her head.

"What are you talking about? I'm coming with you."

"No. You aren't." Lex answered plainly, moving towards the door.

"Lex I want to help-"

"Tch-" Lex felt their tongue catch on their teeth as they scoffed, stopping impatiently as they heard Alice right behind them. Their shoulders were near their ears, but they didn't care. Their jaw tightened further. "Now that can't be true."

The entire diner was quiet, all aside from the sharp inhale of breath they heard come from the booth they had left behind. It was familiar, something Lex had drawn out of Duke before. A mix between disappointment and dread. They heard Alice take a shaky breath. After a moment, they realized that she was waiting for them. With a sigh, Lex turned to face her.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Somehow Alice's face had remained neutral even as she growled the question. Lex wouldn't have been able to tell how hurt she really was if they hadn't already learned what to look for. Her fists were clenched at her side, her hands shaking just slightly. They weren't tapping. Not nervous. Her eyes were wide. Not concerned. Lex ignored how watery they had gotten, concentrating on the growing feeling of familiarity.

They saw it in everyone eventually.

"You can't stand Chasity." Lex said plainly, their tone short. "I'll go get her. At least I know she'll listen to me."

"And you don't think she'll listen to me either? She wouldn't leave my side at Church yesterday-"

"A fact I'm sure you hated."

They had heard that tone before. From so many people. It was always the same. The annoyance people held for Grace, they had heard it spit their way as well. Lex hated it. Their arms started to ache once more. They remembered the tearing feeling of the branches on their skin, wincing just slightly at the memory.

"Just go home, Alice. Nobody else is going into those fucking woods." They continued. "After tonight, Grace won't be either."

They caught eyes with Duke, he was staring at them in concern. It only served to irritate them further. They could tell that concern wasn't for Grace. It wasn't for the girl who was alone in the woods they all knew were dangerous.

Alice wasn't ready to give up though.

Why couldn't she just give up?

"So what, we saw something weird and creepy there the other night. That's all the more reason why I shouldn't let you go alone-"

"I don't need protecting or pity or whatever fucking favor you think you're doing for me." Lex snapped angrily, knowing immediately that what they were about to say would be too far.

Maybe that's why their eyes narrowed, the venom coming too fast to stop it from infecting their voice.

Maybe that was why they said it anyways.

"There is no us here. I don't need you, and I certainly don't want to have to babysit you and Grace when neither of you have a reason to be sticking your nose in this in the first place."

Alice flinched at the outburst, her hands falling limp at her side as her eyes flashed and her face twitched. For a moment, there was that familiar anger. A familiar disgust that Lex always seemed to draw out of everyone eventually.

They found it was easier to deal with in the end.

They supposed they deserved to have something go easy for them today.

It was then Lex saw Alice finally relent. Her head turned to the side as her arms crossed across her chest. Lex watched her for a moment, before eventually turning around. Pushing through the door and into the freezing night, they tried to forget about it. They tried to lose the image of Alice standing in the middle of the diner. Tried to ignore the expression that had come after the anger.

Tried to ignore the angry tears that had gathered in the corner of her eyes.

***

Lex's hand bled as they spun the wheel, twisting the car to the side of the dirt road they had followed. Their palm had started bleeding the moment they had entered the woods.

Because of course it did.

As the car came to a jarring stop the headlights illuminated a familiar silhouette against the trees. Wiping the excess blood off onto their jeans, Lex kicked open the door, meeting eyes with Grace Chasity as they saw her stand up straighter, a small distant smile pulling at her mouth. She quickly disappeared back into whatever she was doing as Lex sighed, resigning themselves to going out into the very woods they fucking hated.

They kept the keys in the car, kept it running in the vain hope that they could make it quick.

"You're never going to believe what I found." Grace breathed as Lex drew closer.

As they crested the small hill Grace had climbed, they realized just how much freshly turned dirt was tossed around the area. The snow from the night before seemed unable to reach the ground beneath the branches of the trees as the area around them was barren and dead. Lex ignored Grace as she messed with something in her hands, instead catching a glimpse of the shovel she must've brought out here along leaning up against a nearby tree. At their feet was the real source of their attention. A freshly uncovered horror.

"Damn it." Lex sighed, pinching their nose as their hope that this would be a simple trip started to immediately turn sour.

Grace Chasity had dug up a body.

Looking down at the grave Grace had overturned, Lex saw the girl had somehow managed to uncover the upper half of a skeletal torso, the body's eyeless skull looking up into the tops of the trees for help that would never come. They felt a familiar sickening pull in their stomach as they forced themselves to instead look down at Grace, now kneeling next to the grave site, seemingly unbothered by the morbid sight in front of her.

The younger girl was too busy flipping through a book, her eyes quickly scanning the pages as she shook her head.

"I overheard Alice talking with you about Mayor Lauter and remembered something weird I found out about the Waylon house." She looked up from the pages she poured over as she met Lex's eyes. "Did you know he actually bought the place before selling it to my dad's company? He had it for a week. Just one! I knew there had to be something I was missing, the place I found those weird drawings was too empty. It's like some weird spell book or something. Lauter must've searched the house for it before selling it off and covering his tracks."

Lex's mouth dried as they became all too aware of the pull coming specifically from the book Grace held in her lap. In the darkness they could barely make out the details of the pages themselves, but it didn't stop the light from the headlights down the hill from illuminating what they could see. Nearly illegible scribbles written out in reddish ink decorated almost every page along alongside several incomprehensible drawings and symbols. The book itself was bound in a thick leather so black it looked almost invisible.

"That uh, that sounds pretty important Grace. But we can talk about all of that literally anywhere but here." They managed to growl, shoving their hands into their pocket as they could feel the sticky mess their palm had become.

Their eyes were still locked on the book, something within their chest telling them they didn't need their blood anywhere near it.

"I'm not sure who this is, but I figure there's probably a clue or something in here somewhere..." Grace continued, as if she hadn't heard them.

Lex looked around warily, watching the trees for anything different. Watching the road for any sign of movement. They weren't too deep into the Witchwoods, thankfully it seemed like Grace hadn't strayed too far from Solomon's backyard. They tried to figure out what led her to this spot, the trees around them all looking eerily the same.

The only sound around was the pages Grace rifled through, the movements sounding more and more frantic. As Lex's eyes fell again down to the body, they saw the light catch the smallest bit of metal, peeking out from the dirt still tightly packed around it's torso. Looking again over their shoulder at Grace, they found her still searching through the book, her eyes dark.

The wind whistled past their ears. They ignored the voices they thought they heard within it. Ignored the way Grace looked up from her book for just a moment, as if checking around them.

If figuring out who this person was finally got Grace to leave-

Keeping their bleeding hand in their pocket, their free hand dug into the dirt, reaching for the bit of metal they had spied. They shivered as their fingers brushed past the polished chill of bone, gently grabbing a fistful of dirt as they pulled whatever it was free. It tugged, something within the ground fighting back against their pull. After a moment of struggling, the ground cracked, a skeletal arm shooting up from the dirt, desperately still clinging to its last possession. Lex grimaced, the little bit of moonlight mixed with the light from the car, causing the yellowed bones they had pulled up to nearly glow. Wrapped in the body's boney fingers was the remains of a golden chain. They quickly shook it free, the clack of the bones falling limply to the dirt echoing off the trunks of the trees around them. Dirt fell from their palm as Lex opened their hand to reveal a heart-shaped locket. Trying to avoid the rising feeling of guilt and disgust, Lex clicked the latch at the top.

The picture within felt familiar. It was something they had seen often, decorating houses or desks. Never in their own home. A small family, huddled together and smiling as if nothing could ever go wrong. Lex recognized a younger, more joyful Solomon Lauter, his arm wrapped around a beautiful woman with piercing green eyes. Eyes that matched the kid in between them, a young Stephanie Lauter, her smile wider then Lex could remember seeing it.

Lex looked down at the hand that had been pulled free of its resting place, it's fingers laying askew, missing the chain that they had once wrapped so tightly around. On it's finger was a simple golden band.

So this is where Solomon's missing wife had been.

They hadn't noticed Grace stand up next to them, only hearing her soft horrified gasp as she stumbled back, seeing the same truth in the picture that they did. Lex glanced over their shoulder, checking the road they had driven.

"Let's go." They announced, turning to face Grace.

Her light blue jeans were coated in dirt, it stained the sleeves of her white shirt, tangled in the fabric of her sweater. She hadn't even been wearing a coat. Lex thought back to the phone call they had overheard. Thought about how long ago it had been since they had even been in the diner.

Grace had been out here for hours.

"He... he killed her."

Lex took another look at the body next to them. With the reveal of its arm, they could clearly make out how shallow the grave actually was. It couldn't have been more than a foot deep.

"Grace." Lex started quietly, their eyes watching as she seemed to flinch in response, her hands tightening around the book as she held it open. "It's cold as fuck out here. We'll talk in the car."

"Nobody knew. This entire time." She mumbled, her head shaking as she looked back into the pages. It was too dark to read them, but her eyes still searched. "I didn't know, I didn't know I needed to-"

"Ok. No. I already hate being out here enough and you're going to freeze to death if we try and get into whatever that spiral will be right now." Lex cut her off.

Grace stared up at them with wide eyes before they hardened, her head shaking furiously.

"We have to do something!"

"And what are we supposed to do, Grace?! Call the cops? Wait out here until they come and ask a dozen questions we don't fucking know the answers to?" Lex snapped. "I've been through that before. I'm not doing it again." They added lowly.

Their skin felt cold as the wind picked up again. This time, Lex saw the reaction in Grace's eyes. Saw that she heard it too. She looked up at the branches above them, listening to the words within the winter breeze.

"Those... it sounds like names..." She mumbled, looking down at the book in her hands. "I've read them before."

Her searching was more focused, a frantic urgency added to the way she flipped through the pages. Lex watched it with a grimace, their hand burning as they brought it out to see it now completely covered in blood.

"Here. It's all right here. 5 names. Some sort of summoning spell, to grant a wish of some kind. Says you need to..." Grace's face paled for a moment, her eyes widening as they stared down at the page, her finger ran through the nearly illegible lines in the book. "There's some sort of cost, whatever you cherish most."

Her voice was quiet. Lex ignored the now sickeningly strong pull in their stomach as they wiped the blood from their hand once again. Their other hand tightened around the necklace they had found, snapping it closed.

"That's all the more reason why we shouldn't be looking through it in the middle of the fucking woods at night. Let's go."

Grace acted like she didn't hear them.

"What do we think he wanted? To do something like that? What's to stop him from doing it again?" She mumbled under her breath, her shoulders hunching over the book almost protectively. Almost as if struck by an idea she began flipping through it once more.

The wind grew in power, whipping Lex's hair around. The voices seemingly becoming clearer. Lex carefully tucked the necklace into their pocket, taking a step closer.

"Grace-"

"There was another spell in here. Something about retribution-"

"Grace." Lex called out more sternly as she jumped, looking up at them almost as if she had forgotten they were there. "If you're right and Lauter had to kill his wife for whatever he has now, what do you that spell will cost? What do you it's going to ask of you?"

"Whatever it is, I can pay it. Nobody else needs to-"

"Alright. No" Lex stopped her, their hand tearing out of their pocket as they snatched the tome from her hands too quickly for the girl to react. "We're not doing that."

They closed it with a loud snap as the wind that had kicked up died suddenly. The woods once again falling deathly silent.

"Lex, I know you don't understand, that's ok. Romans 12:21 states that-"

"I understand that you're just a fucking kid. And I'm not going to let you do something stupid just because you're on whatever mission to save this bullshit town." Lex snapped at her, tucking the book under their arm as they noticed her eyes hadn't left it.

Almost as soon as it was out of her sight, Grace seemed to slump. Her shoulders that she had held next to her ears fell as she swallowed. Her body began to shiver as she turned to the body in the grave at her feet. After a moment, she turned back to Lex, her eyes watery.

"What about Steph?"

Lex sighed. Their hand went to their pocket again, pulling out the necklace they had tucked away. Their thumb gently dusted the dirt away as they remembered the picture inside. They held it out to Grace.

"That's a conversation we have somewhere that has heat." They offered stiffly, jerking their head towards the car.

Grace took the locket, holding it gingerly in her hands as Lex slipped out of their jacket. The sweater the younger girl usually wore wasn't going to be enough to chase away the chill they knew was in her bones. Keeping a tight hold of the book, Lex looked down at the poor person buried next to them.

Grace had a mind for this sort of thing. Even if they hadn't seen the flash of guilt in Lauter's eyes earlier, it had been proven multiple times already. If she felt like she knew what really had happened to Solomon's wife, then Lex couldn't fault her for worrying about his daughter.

Grace nodded numbly as she pulled on Lex's jacket, the extra length hanging past her hands, covering the locket that she was now gripping to tightly. She tucked her hands tightly into her body as she began to walk back towards the car. Lex watched her for just a moment before grabbing the shovel they hoped Grace hadn't stolen. Looking down at the head still covered in packed mud, they grimaced. Not wanting to ruin the inside of Mr. Houston's car, they raised it up to hit against a nearby tree, hoping to knock loose whatever was still clinging to it.

As they swung it back, their vision swam, the entire forest changing in a flash as they heard the sounds of distant, desperate, screaming. Suddenly standing in front of them was a young girl, her arms held up and protectively covering her face. It was impossible to make out details in the dark of the night, but Lex knew she couldn't have been much older than Hannah.

Another child.

Their stomach flipped as they felt bile rise suddenly in their throat. They couldn't explain how they knew, but Lex knew the girl was terrified. That she understood exactly who they were. That she knew she was going to die by their hands.

Her mother wouldn't reach her in time.

 

"Lex?"

 

The shovel fell from their hands along with the book from under their arms. Looking up, they were staring at the same gnarled trunk that had been there before. The knots staring back at them expectantly. They tore their eyes from it, looking down the hill at Grace, staring at them with wide worried eyes as she waited by the passenger side of the door.

Their mouth dry and nausea still tugging at their gut, Lex bent down to pick up the book, leaving the shovel behind, hopefully to become as buried as the rest of what they had found that night.

Climbing behind the wheel, Lex made sure to turn the heat on full blast as they tucked the book out of sight and underneath their leg. Grace slid her way into the passenger seat, buckling up almost automatically as she looked through the window at the grave she had unearthed.

Lex paid her no mind, twisting the wheel as their hand slipped just slightly, the blood still oozing from their palm making it impossible to get a firm grip. After just a moment they were back on the road, heading out of the Witchwoods. Despite their growing discomfort, they kept the car moving slow, still seeing the terrified girl behind every blink.

The book under their leg never grew warmer, even as the car quickly heated up to an uncomfortable degree. Next to them, Grace finally stopped shivering.

"Where are we going?" She asked quietly after a moment.

Lex grimaced as they looked around them carefully. It felt like even despite their speed, it was taking longer than it should to get through the woods. The trunks all looked the same, flying past them with no glimpse of reprieve.

"Someplace called Miss Retro's. Gotta give the owner back this book." Lex answered, their voice clipped.

Their hand burned, though their chest collapsed in relief as they finally spied the exit, the streetlights from the nearby neighborhood finally piercing through the crushing darkness of the forest. They pressed the pedal faster, eager to escape the eyes they couldn't help but feel on them.

As they emerged, Lex realized that at some point they must've gotten turned around. Despite originally driving down the road next to the Lauter's mansion, they came out onto the familiar backroads that existed outside of Alice's neighborhood. Grace looked behind them in confusion, clearly noticing it as well.

Instead of asking about it, she focused on something more pressing.

"What is she going to do with it?" Grace asked.

"Not use it." Lex answered plainly.

Taking a deep breath, they pulled the car onto the road heading around the neighborhood, the one that would eventually lead back to the diner. They knew it would be faster to go through the neighborhood itself. It didn't stop them from taking the long way anyways.

"What if it's the only thing that could help?"

Grace's wide eyes stared at Lex with expectation as their hand gripped tighter to the wheel. The hollow ache they had been dealing with for the last several minutes had eased since leaving the woods. As they turned down yet another dark and empty road they felt the familiar pull of fresh scabs beginning to form once again.

Their leg shifted, covering more of the book as they swallowed. For a moment, they remembered the flash of possessiveness in Grace's eyes when they had taken the book from her. The anger was long since gone, but the curiosity was evident in her voice. In the way her eyes flicked down occasionally, as if checking it was still there.

"I bet our dear Mr. Mayor thought the same thing when he used it."

With their eerie statement left hanging in the stale air of the car, they drove the rest of the way in silence. Pulling into the parking lot of Miss Retro's, Lex was relieved to see that the two additional cars from before were gone. Alice and Duke seemed to have left, the only car remaining was the old Firebird that Holloway had driven that morning. Lex could only stare at it, putting the car numbly into park as they heard Grace unbuckle her seatbelt.

They had heard a couple of customers talking about it excitedly with Holloway earlier, doing their best to ignore all the familiar car talk that had always bored them. Still, looking at the cherry red paint job under the dull light of the streetlights, Lex couldn't help but feel like Ethan would've loved to see it.

With any thought of Ethan, there came a flood of others. They wondered what he would've said to everything that had happened. It was something Lex had always admired about him. Ethan had the ability to seamlessly roll with every shitty thing that happened to them. He was seemingly always able to keep moving, even when Lex couldn't…

Taking a shaky breath, they climbed out of the car to join Grace, taking extra care to tuck the book under their arm and out of sight. Lex took the lead, pushing through the front door of the diner as they winced at the loud chime of the bell above the door.

"I'm terribly sorry dears, we're currently-"

"Just me." Lex answered stiffly as they moved inside, ignoring Holloway's suspiciously quiet stare as they kept their eyes on Grace.

In the unfamiliar environment, the girl stuck closer to them than normal.

"Well, I see we found our runaway. Though I'm not sure why you brought her here." Holloway smiled politely at Grace who stiffened in response.

"I never ran away." Her eyes narrowed as Lex pointed her to sit down at the counter, meeting Holloway behind it.

As they did, they were careful to note their surroundings, grateful that the blinds had already been pulled tightly shut on the windows. True to Holloway's word, it looked like the place had remained closed, the building thankfully empty. As Grace took a seat at the counter, Lex stiffly pulled the book she had found from under their arm.

They held it out to Miss Holloway.

Immediately the woman's eyes were locked on the book and with her grim expression, confirmed Lex's earlier suspicions as true.

Grace had not only found a body, she had found the last piece of the puzzle.

The Black Book itself.

"Please tell me neither of you opened it." Holloway whispered. Unlike before with the dagger, she didn't move to take it right away.

Lex felt the heavy leather grow uncomfortably cold in their hand.

"This one did. Right next to a dead body. So I think it's fair you give her some answers." Lex shrugged, pushing the book further away from them as Holloway gingerly grabbed it.

She turned to their guest, looking over Grace critically as Lex watched them both carefully.

"You didn't use it, right? Didn't read aloud any of the incantations?"

Grace shook her head, her eyes widening as she looked between Holloway and Lex in wonder.

"The spells in there, they really work, don’t they?"

Lex sighed, staring pointedly at Holloway as they met eyes. After a moment, the woman seemed to relax, carefully tucking the book under the counter.

"Grace, have you eaten anything tonight?" Lex asked suddenly, stopping Holloway's response as both turned to them in confusion.

"No, but it's meatloaf night tonight. There'll be leftovers waiting for me-"

"Did you want something sooner?" Lex clarified as Holloway smiled, realizing what they were doing.

Grace looked down at her hands, still covered in dirt from her digging. Underneath the grime, Lex noticed the start of angry, red, blisters beginning to form on her palms.

"Maybe just a hot water?" Grace asked, looking back up to them innocently.

"Right." They sighed, bending down and grabbing the first aid kit they had used earlier, sliding it towards Grace. "I'm using your phone." They added to Holloway, turning to push through the door to the back.

Behind them they heard the rough attempts at conversation start up between the two. Ignoring how terribly it sounded like it was already going, Lex went straight to the sink, eager to rinse the remains of blood and dirt from their hand. For a moment they were afraid that their hand would once again begin bleeding, breathing a sigh of relief when even after they cleaned away the mud covered scabs there was still no traces of new blood. Looking down at the patterns still scarred into their skin they sighed.

Just another reason to avoid the woods.

Moving to the coffee pot Holloway always made sure to keep running, they dumped the existing batch down the drain, filling it up with fresh water from the sink as they set it to warm. Taking a moment to listen that both Grace and Holloway were still speaking lowly outside, they moved over to the red corded phone hanging on the wall in the corner. Shaking their head at Holloway's ridiculous 'tech', Lex dialed the one number they had memorized.

After almost an entire ring cycle, Tom Houston aswered his phone.

"Alice I already told you I haven't-"

"Hey Mr. Houston, it's me." Lex interjected, ignoring the clench in their chest at his earlier irritation.

The guilt that rose eagerly in their throat.

Tom took a moment, his breath growing further away before pulling the phone seemingly back to his ear.

"Lex? Why did your number come up with errors? And where are you?"

"I'm still at my new job. The woman running this place refuses to leave the 80s so I'm stuck using her old ass wall phone." They explained plainly before their voice cracked just slightly. "Can you put Hannah on?"

"Uh... yeaah. I'll just-" His voice was cut off by a sharp inhale as Lex couldn't help but smile. They heard the sounds of quiet shuffling before a new voice came on the line.

"Lexi?"

They hadn't realized just how late the day was until they heard her voice. Feeling their eyes begin to burn as the exhaustion set in their shoulders, they forced themselves to swallow.

"Hey Banan. I'm ok, just another late night." They reassured her gently. "And you don't get to stay up waiting this time, got it?"

The line went quiet for just a moment.

"You went to the Witchwoods."

It wasn't a question. Lex grimaced at the whisper, not surprised that Hannah had known.

"Just a small trip. Had to make sure Grace didn't do anything stupid." They sighed after a moment.

"Webby didn't trust her." Hannah admitted stiffly as Lex breathed out their nose.

"Yeah. I know." They shook their head. "I'm sure she has her reasons. Just like I have mine for making sure kids don't go wandering into the woods at night alone."

They heard Hannah's gentle laugh on the other end, finally able to smile just slightly at the comforting sound.

"Did you get your homework done for tomorrow?" They asked, hearing Hannah's small confirmation hum. "Good. Tell Mr. Houston not to wait up for me, ok? It shouldn't be too much longer here."

"You know he's going to anyways."

"Then that's his problem." Lex rolled their eyes, shrugging to no one. "I got to go. I love you. Don't be awake when I get home."

"Love you, Lexi." Hannah said quietly as Lex quickly forced themselves to hang up the phone. The thud of it hitting the receiver echoed in their ears.

They weren't supposed to be working late anymore.

Taking a moment to regain their composure, they took a deep breath as they grabbed a mug from the cabinet, checking inside to make sure it wasn't dusty. Moving over to the coffee pot, Lex poured the now steaming liquid into the cup as they pushed out into the diner.

"Those 'gods' don't have anyone's best interest in mind besides their own. They thrive on suffering, which is exactly why everything in that book comes at a cost."

"If It's so bad, why hasn't anyone destroyed it? You said yourself that you've used it in the past-"

"Sounds like this conversation is going well." Lex interrupted, setting the mug down in front of Grace with a soft thud. "You were supposed to be giving her answers, not worse ideas."

Their eyes flicked to Grace's hands, glad to see that they had been bandaged and cleaned. With a sigh they realized it was just one more thing they would probably have to help explain to her parents.

Holloway matched their sigh with one of her own as Grace held the mug up to her face, looking at the woman with a familiar judgmental stare. It would've almost felt normal, had the conversation not revolved solely around magic and eldritch gods.

"Mayor Lauter has to be stopped."

"I mean he isn't the first mayor who's murdered a person. He probably won't be the last." Lex shrugged.

Holloway's hand went to her nose to pinch it as she concentrated. Lex hoped that Grace had filled her in on what they had found out, not too eager to explain anything more tonight.

"But he killed his own wife. And we don't even know what for. Whatever we do can't be nearly as evil as that."

"That's not true. Not even in the slightest." Holloway was quick to correct her. "The Lords in Black will twist anything they can get their hands on. Even if you think you can outsmart them, you'll only end up further in their trap."

"Real promising talk, Holloway." Lex narrowed their eyes, moving to the opposite side of the counter as they hopped on the seat next to Grace. "Wasn't the whole point of finding the book so we wouldn't have to worry about them?"

They leaned their head onto their hand, folding it under their chin as they stared at her. Grace looked between the two with wide eyes before turning completely in her chair to face Lex.

"What about Steph? We have to tell her about her dad. She could be in danger."

"We?" Lex asked, their eyes narrowing. Their hand dropped from under their chin, clenching into a fist on the counter. "There's no we."

Their own voice mocked them as it felt uncomfortably familiar.

"Steph's stubborn! She won't believe just me. I've tried warning her about her habits, I mean, you've heard the rumors about her being a bit, well, loose. Anyways, she shooed me away before I could finish warning her about the sins of impure thoughts and premarital sex and-"

"Ok, I don't need the lessons too." Lex growled, coming to the awful realization that this wasn't going to be something Grace would drop.

"Look, Grace was it?" Holloway gently came to their rescue as Grace gave her attention back to their host. "I'm grateful you found the book, but for now it's best you forget everything you learned about it. For your own safety."

"Forget?" Grace bristled, her eyes flashing in panic and indignation. "No. No hecking way lady. I've got proof that Lauter did something to his wife in my pocket. And I know what I read. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure-"

"How many times-" Lex started irritably, the growl familiar in their voice as they swallowed down the tone that had started to come out.

It wouldn't work on Grace. Not the way it had earlier that night.

"Look." They tried again, starting gently. "You did your job. More than your share. I asked you to help and now I'm asking you to stop. We can handle it from here."

Grace stared at them, setting her cup on the counter more firmly than Lex believed she meant to.

"The innocent should not suffer the guilty alone." She said, her tone absolutely serious. "I want to help."

"I know you do. Which is why you're here and why I didn't just drop you off at home." Lex replied simply, watching the realization in Grace's eyes as she stared down at the cup of water in front of her. "But Holloway is right too. You aren't using that book for anything. And you'll leave the evil mayors and weird old gods and cult to the adults."

Her eyes were still on them, waiting for some sort of realization to occur. After seeing it wasn't coming, she took a calm sip of her water.

"Adults like you?" She asked, shaking her head. "You're only 18."

Lex rolled their eyes, more than familiar with this argument.

"Lex has a point." Holloway tried once again to interject, smiling stiffly at Grace. "She's a bit more equipped-"

"They." Grace corrected her quickly, spinning back in her seat to glare at the woman almost protectively.

Lex did their best to hide their smile behind their hand as Holloway looked between the two curiously.

"It's alright Grace." Lex said gently after a moment, making sure to set a hand on her shoulder. "It's she or they. I don't care-"

Grace shrugged off her hand as she scowled.

"Yeah, but you also don't care about your own soul." She snapped. "Since you refuse to put your faith in God himself, someone has to be looking out for you."

"You, finish that." Lex pointed at the half full mug on the counter before turning to Holloway. "You're going to make sure that thing gets locked up right?"

"Just as soon as I figure out what it's been used for in the time I've been gone." Holloway nodded.

"I already told you what it's been used for." Grace grumbled, her face behind the mug as she held it up. Her eyes widened as Lex looked at her sharply.

"And, like they said." Holloway said carefully, catching Lex's eye as Grace smiled wide. "We'll figure out what to do about that."

"Tomorrow me and you can go do that whole warning a kid about her father being a murderer thing when I get done with my shift." Lex agreed, watching Grace finish her cup with a bit too smug of smile.

"I guess that means I better give Duke a call." Holloway sighed, reaching over to take the now empty mug.

"Duke... as in Douglas Keen? The social worker?" Grace asked, the smug expression falling just slightly as she glanced over to Lex in concern.

"We like him right now."

"I'm going to tell him you said that." Holloway teased as Lex ignored her, standing up as Grace immediately followed their lead.

"He wouldn't believe you anyways." Lex shrugged, moving to head towards the door. Grace caught up to them quickly, wiggling out of their jacket as she passed it back.

Instead of putting it on, they threw it over their shoulder, flicking back the lock they had turned when they first entered.

"You locked us in?" Grace asked quietly.

"I locked everything else out." Lex corrected her as they threw open the door and held a hand above their head. "I'm guessing you want to open at like 8 or something?" They asked as Holloway gave them a nonchalant shrug and smile.

Behind it, hidden in her normally open eyes, was a deep suspicion held for the girl besides them.

The door slammed shut in the otherwise still night. They kept close to Grace until they got to the car, keeping an eye on her as she climbed inside and buckled up. This wouldn't be the first time Lex had given her a ride home, they still knew the way. Neither of them spoke as the car rolled out of the parking lot and onto the main road, heading back towards Grace's neighborhood. While Lex might have enjoyed the silence, they couldn't help but notice just how quiet Grace was acting.

Couldn't help but know how unusual it was.

"What's on your mind?"

Grace jumped in her seat, clearly not expecting whatever she was working through to get interrupted. She took a deep breath, swallowing hard as her eyes watched the road ahead carefully.

"I'm worried about Steph." She admitted quietly, her voice cracking just slightly.

"That's... fair." Lex sighed after a moment, feeling a small amount of relief that Grace wasn't still thinking about the book.

"She doesn't talk about her mom. Ever." She continued in the silence, seeming to want to fill it now that it had been broken. "Not that she talks to me much. Or at all really. But I notice! Especially when she complains about her dad almost constantly."

"So wait, you want to help this girl who barely speaks to you?"

"She'll say hi, occasionally." Grace defended herself quickly. Her hands fiddled with something in her lap as Lex looked over and caught the glint of streetlight reflecting off a dull gold metal.

Lex merely hummed in acknowledgement, not entirely eager to unpack what they suspected might be Grace's first real crush.

"What if we just tell her tonight?" The girl asked suddenly, shifting dramatically in her seat to face Lex. "She can just stay at my house, I'm sure my parents would understand-"

"Right now," Lex gently interrupted, being careful with their words as they could hear how frantic Grace had grown. "the safest thing for Steph to do is act like nothing's wrong."

"What?!"

"Look, he hasn't hurt her yet, right?" Lex knew to be patient, knew they needed to be. They weren't the only one who had a long night. "Now that Holloway has the book, he would have no reason to hurt anyone else. No cost to pay."

"But we know he's capable of killing." Grace hissed back as Lex's hands tightened on the wheel.

Her tone wasn't anything unusual for Grace Chasity, condemnation mixed with judgement. Normally it didn't affect them.

Normally they didn't care.

"Yeah. We do." They agreed quietly.

They were spared from having to come up with anything else as they pulled into the driveway of the Chasity's. Spared from their own memories. Of Sherman and the blood that dripped from his mouth as clarity came back to his eyes, for just a moment.

"Let's talk with her, after school." Grace said quickly, unbuckling her seatbelt but not moving to leave. "She normally hangs around in the gym for basketball practice. We can catch her there and it should still give you time to pick up your sister, right?"

"Sure." Lex agreed hollowly.

They watched as the porch light flicked on, knowing from experience that it wasn't motion activated.

Grace seemed to freeze as she looked down at her pants and shirt. Despite having cleaned up her hands, it was still more than obvious she had been up to something besides babysitting.

"Need me to tag along?" They asked dryly, their answer coming in Grace's stiff nod.

They got out together, Lex shifting to throw on their jacket as Grace stuck close to them. Karen Chasity opened the front door, seeming to melt in relief at seeing her daughter. She opened her arms wide to scoop Grace into a tight hug, meeting them both out on the front steps.

After a soft moment shared between the two, she let Grace go, looking back at Lex.

"Alexandra, right?" She asked kindly.

"Mom! I told you they go by Lex!" Grace corrected the woman quickly.

As she did, Karen's eyes fell to her daughter's hands, the clean white bandages almost glowing in the porchlight.

"What happened dear?" She asked suddenly, grabbing Grace's hands as the girl froze.

"That would be my fault Ms. Chasity." Lex spoke up quickly. "Been picking up some old tree branches in the forest around Mr. Houston's new place. Grace has been helping me out. Unfortunately some of them like to fight back."

"Uh yeah! I've been helping out Lex for the last couple of days actually!" Grace smiled quickly as Lex caught her eye.

They couldn't help but be impressed. Even when trying to cover her own actions, Grace still hadn't managed to lie. Karen's eyes softened as she looked between the two kids on her doorstep.

"Don't worry." Lex said as gently as they could. "We got everything taken care of tonight. So no more late nights or muddy shoes for this one." They explained, staring pointedly at Grace.

To her credit, the girl nodded quickly, relieving Lex and Karen both.

"Did you want to come in dear? We've got plenty of leftovers from tonight's meatloaf." Karen asked Lex kindly as Grace moved back to the doorway.

They both stared at Lex expectantly.

"No thank you ma'am." Lex declined. "I just want to go home to my sister." They admitted honestly, watching with a slight confusion as both Grace and Karen looked disappointed at their answer.

Holding a hand up to wave, they turned back to the car, eager to finally end the day. As they drove back in silence, they couldn't help but feel like maybe Alice had been right.

Whatever their relationship was with Grace, it was certainly weird.

Their stomach turning at the thought of Alice and the way they had left things, they slammed shut that mental train of thought, focusing on nothing but the road. Thinking about nothing but getting home.

They were so caught up in their own head they barely noticed when they made it back to Becky's house, putting the car in park as they numbly went inside. Tom tried to stop them, as they tossed him his keys and started to head up to their room. He called out about how often his phone had gone off.

Lex ignored it.

Gently opening the door of their room, they flinched at the sight of Alice's sweatshirt, still laying on the back of their chair. They climbed into bed next to Hannah, pulling their blanket up over their shoulders and making sure to turn their back to the reminder.

Their eyes grew heavy as they lifted their hand up to their face in the low light coming from the window. They told themself they wanted to make sure it wasn't still bleeding. Thankfully it seemed to have stopped for the night, another good reason to avoid the woods in the future. The relief they should have felt never came. Instead they stared at their hand, remembering the feeling of Alice's thumb, gently running over their palm earlier that day.

They remembered just how much it had put them at ease, chasing away the cold feeling in their bones that had entered when the apron had first appeared. Their thoughts changed as they remembered the look Alice had given them in the diner. The mix of anger and disgust. The hurt behind it all.

Scowling, Lex flipped onto their back, shutting their eyes tightly, forcing their mind to empty. They had to get up early to take Hannah to school. Then it would be back to the same countless hours working away at yet another pointless job. They would take care of warning Steph with Grace tomorrow and then maybe everything could finally return to normal.

After all, normal meant they wouldn't still be feeling this bad. Normally the thoughts of their actions, their words wouldn't haunt them for this long.

Laying on their back staring into the ceiling, Lex couldn't help but laugh at the irony.

Normally they would have no problems sleeping.

Chapter Text

Lex stared at the keys in front of her, scowling as she looked back up to Tom who was standing next to her at the kitchen table.

"I don't need these. I'll walk today." She said stiffly, swiping them up and holding them out to the man. He pointedly ignored the gesture, moving to the cabinet.

"And I've decided you're not doing that." Tom shrugged, grabbing two mugs down as always.

He moved over to the machine as it slowly heated up.

"It's your car."

"Yeah. Which means it's mine to decide what I'm doing with it." Tom shut her down once again as he leaned against the counter. "Already talked it over with Becky, we can carpool in the mornings. I'll pick her up in the evening."

"I thought you hated me driving without a license?" Lex pointed out stiffly, her hand closing as she tucked them into her pocket.

"Just another thing we'll have to take care of eventually." Tom sighed, his hand dragging down his face.

A short buzz from Tom's pocket had him pulling out his phone as Lex set her head back on her arms. Not only did it take her hours to fall asleep, but whatever unconsciousness she did manage to achieve wasn't restful.

"Are you talking to Alice today?" Tom asked suddenly, still scrolling through his phone, missing the way Lex froze.

"Not planning on it, no." Her eyes narrowed as he finally looked up.

Tom sighed, swiping away something on his screen as he turned back to the machine behind him. Even despite the morning exhaustion fogging her mind, Lex noticed how tense he seemed. She couldn't imagine it was just for whatever he was worried happened last night.

With a deep breath, he straightened a bit further as he poured himself a cup. Turning around he avoided her eyes, holding the cup at his chest.

"I was thinking me and Becky would go out tonight. Grab some dinner, talk a few things over." He sighed after a moment, his shoulders falling as Lex felt a small smile tug at the corner of her lips.

"You've been living together this long and you're this nervous about a date?" She teased purposefully, figuring he would roll his eyes and scowl at her dig.

Tom's fingers drummed on his cup before he took a long sip and swallowed. It was like he didn't even hear her. Lex didn't have a lot of time to think on how weird he was acting as Becky entered the kitchen. The woman moved to her side quickly.

"Hand." She asked plainly as Lex rolled her eyes.

Lifting it up, Becky cupped the back of her hand gently as she squinted at the designs still angry and red from the night before.

At least it wasn't still bleeding.

Almost on instinct, Becky let her thumb rub against the scabs, likely to inspect how fresh they were. In a flash of panic and nerves, Lex quickly snatched her hand back. It clenched into a tight fist as she felt both Tom and Becky's eyes on her.

"Sorry." She said stiffly, choosing a spot on the table to focus on. "Still sore."

It wasn't a full lie.

"Anyways..." Tom started awkwardly, trying his best to push past whatever had just happened. "Tim's been bugging me about seeing Paul and Emma so I was thinking about inviting them over to watch the kids."

Lex looked at him, surprised to find he was staring at her expectantly. Like he was waiting for an answer.

"Ok?"

"He's trying to check if that would be ok with you." Becky explained, moving over to grab her cup as she gently squeezed his shoulder. "In case you were worried about Hannah tonight."

Lex let out a stiff chuckle, feeling her hand unclench.

"If that's what Tim wants, that's fine. I'll be home before it gets dark anyways." She shook her head.

Becky and Tom shared a look, Becky's eyes mirroring the same dodgy nature Tom's had earlier.

"Well, Tom, if we're riding together we better get going." She said carefully.

Lex noticed that she was still holding her empty mug.

Tom cleared his throat, throwing back his cup as he drank the liquid that was probably still too hot. With a slight wince, he set the cup into the sink before moving over to Lex.

"You could still take your keys back." She offered, her hand clenching around the ring in her pocket.

Instead of an answer she received a stern scowl before it almost immediately melted off his face. Instead of putting his hand on her head like he normally did whenever he was leaving, Tom set it on her shoulder, squeezing it gently.

Almost as if he was afraid of hurting her.

He left shortly after, going upstairs to say goodbye to Tim as Becky shot her a gentle smile.

"You'll let me know if that gets worse?" She asked, her head tilting slightly down at Lex's hand.

"Sure." Lex shrugged.

She was left staring down at her palm as they both left without another word. After a moment Lex closed her fist, looking over again to check her reflection in the oven glass. She felt different today, realizing that it felt ok using and hearing both her pronouns. The bruising on her neck had faded over the weeks to just a darkened band, the bruising on her collarbone growing smaller and smaller by the day. The scar above her eyes hadn't changed much but at least it wasn't as angry as it had been before. With her hand healing, it almost felt like her own body was at least on its way to returning to normal.

Trying to ignore the strange way Becky and Tom were acting, the new job, the new living situation and everything else that had changed, Lex got herself ready for work. There was only a slight comfort to the familiar motions, but it was quickly chased away with the knowledge that the conversation she would be having later that day promised to be anything but normal.

***

The half shift at Miss Retro's went by fast and without incident. They only had 2 patrons stop in from the time Holloway arrived and opened and the time Lex left to go pick up Hannah and Tim. The decision was made early in the day to close the diner entirely after Lex left, with Holloway suggesting they could try and open again tomorrow. She had been entertaining the idea for Miss Retro's to open only on the weekends while she got settled back into her life in Hatchetfield.

Apparently there was a lot you needed to get in order after coming back from being 'missing' for 13 years.

When that reason alone didn't seem to sway Lex's concern about their job security, Holloway was sure to mention that the time off would also give her more of an opportunity to try and track down Cross.

It hadn't taken long to pick-up and subsequently drop off the kids, letting her save even more time was the fact that Paul was already waiting on the front porch, on the phone with Emma as she was held up at her own job. Both Tim and Hannah took off to tackle the man in a tight hug as he looked to Lex, momentarily panicked. Instead of helping him, she simply held up a hand to wave goodbye as she reversed down the drive.

As awkward as Paul was around most everyone, including kids, Lex could see his familiar comfort with them. Not like they hadn't spent several days all living together after Black Friday anyways. Lex knew that at some point, Bill had even trusted him to watch Alice when she was younger, finding it a little easier to trust him to keep an eye out for trouble.

As she watched her sister turn to wave at her from the front door, Lex realized that Hannah was almost old enough to look after herself.

The thought was a cold comfort as she pulled into the parking lot of Hatchetfield High. There were still several cars in the parking lot, students milling about in groups, either heading home for the day or making plans to spend time with each other. Lex kept her head down, keeping one eye out for a familiar shitty old mini-van. Pulling down her hood, Lex made her way over to the bike racks, grateful for the wide berth Grace normally attracted from the rest of her peers. It only meant they both caught less eyes.

Grace immediately lit up at the sight of her, looking a lot less like a mess than she had the previous night. Her hands were still wrapped, the bandages over her blisters having changed from the standard tan ones kept in any First Aid Kit to bright colors with bible passage numbers. She wrapped Lex in a quick and tight hug before leading the way back through the front doors of the school, her chin held high as she gripped tightly to the straps of her backpack. Lex followed close behind, not oblivious to the stares they were receiving, the whispers left in their trail. They ducked quickly into the gym, the doors shutting out the hallways full of gossip as Grace and Lex's footsteps joined with the squeaks of the basketball team's own.

Not long after they entered Lex immediately heard the cat calls from some of the boys as Grace scowled. Instead of letting her say the words ready on the tip of her tongue, Lex picked up her own pace, moving to walk beside her. After a brief irritated huff, her focus successfully shifted, spying their target as Lex could've sworn she saw the smallest skip enter her step.

As they drew closer, two of the cheerleaders that were scrolling on their phones beside Steph groaned at the trouble approaching them. Their eyes were only on Grace, seeming not to notice Lex at all.

"Have fun with that." One of the girls rolled her eyes as they both moved away, leaving Steph to lazily scroll through her phone as she glanced up.

"Ugh, Grace. What I'd do this time?" Stephanie Lauter groaned, her nose going right back down at her phone as she leaned back further into the bleachers.

With a loud sigh, Lex lifted her foot up to rest on the bottom step of the bleacher, leaning in just the right way to cause a familiar and loud groan of metal and plastic. The noise successfully pulled Steph's attention back as she finally seemed to notice the other person standing above her. Her eyes went wide as her brow raised. Sitting up she looked between Grace and Lex with disbelief.

"Dang Chasity. You somehow managed to drag Lex fucking Foster back to school?" Steph chuckled, shaking her head slightly. "Do I need to start being afraid of you or something?"

Lex stepped back, placing her hands in the pockets of her jacket as she watched Grace bite her lip.

"It's not me you need to be afraid of." Grace said quietly, looking back at Lex for reassurance.

Steph, now fully curious, set her phone to the side as she leaned forward.

"Alright. What's going on? You aren't usually one to be cryptic." She sighed, looking over to Lex as she narrowed her eyes. "You do something to her? Pressure her?"

Grace's shoulders shot up as she bristled, almost successfully hiding her blush behind her indignance.

"Lex didn't do anything. I asked them to be here." She explained stiffly.

"So... what did you want then? I don't think I've ever seen you at a loss for words. You're starting to freak me out, Chasity."

"Think that's bad, just wait." Lex chuckled to herself, ignoring the glare Grace shot her.

"It's about your dad."

The sentence almost immediately had an effect on Stephanie. She closed her eyes as she let out a bitter laugh.

"When's it not?" She asked, annoyed. "What'd he do?"

Grace shifted back and forth on her feet, grabbing at her arm as she grew more anxious. It was an emotion Lex expected her to have earlier when she had first suggested warning Steph. Trying to stay patient, Lex was careful to check around them, hating the fact that they chose to talk about this in a gym half full of people.

"I... he..." Grace struggled to find the right words as Lex looked back to her. After a moment, she reached forward and placed a comforting hand on the younger girl's shoulder.

They didn't have to do this today.

Steph watched the interaction carefully, her carefree attitude finally seeming to drop.

"What's going on? Grace, are you ok?" Steph asked, leaning forward as her attention landed fully on the girl in front of her. For a brief moment her hand lifted just slightly off her knee, almost reaching towards Grace, before she let it fall back down.

"I'm worried, well, we're worried that he could maybe, possibly uh... hurt you." Grace eventually admitted, her voice small and high.

Steph stared at her classmate, taking a moment as she processed the information. Swallowing hard, she sighed, her shoulders slouching forward as she looked up at Grace with a thin smile.

"You must've heard something, didn't you?" Steph asked softly, her voice was more gentle this time, almost pitiful.

Lex's hand slipped off Grace's shoulder, curling to a fist at her side, her nerves on edge.

"Look Grace, my dad's a dick, but he's not going to hurt me. And I'm used to his comments by now anyways."

There it was.

"That's not-" Grace wrung her hands out in front of her. "That's not ok, Steph."

"Yeah well, not all of us have parents who tuck us in at night or whatever." Stephanie rolled her eyes, her shoulders tense. "Ask your friend there, I'm sure she understands."

"They." Grace corrected quickly.

"Is that all?" Stephanie asked lazily, her eyes betraying the cool attitude she was trying to maintain.

Instead of answering, Grace only shook her head quickly.

"Ok? So, what is it? Do you really want to dig deeper? Start digging at my mom issues while you're here?" Steph snapped defensively, picking up her phone as she started to look through it again.

"I told you we should just show her." Grace said suddenly, turning to face Lex with an exasperated sigh.

"And I told you I hate those woods." Lex replied cooly.

"I'm sorry, but what the fuck is going on?" Steph interrupted, her attention back on them as she narrowed her eyes. "Since when do you two even know each other? Last I heard, Lex, you were not the type Chasity would want to be hanging around."

"Still not." Lex shrugged. "She asked me to be here because she didn't you'd believe her alone."

"Believe her about what? That my dad might hurt me? He's full of hot air. Worst he's ever done is lock me in my room. The same room with a window that's easily twice the size of me. On the ground floor." Steph explained with the huff, pulling her phone back up to her face. "I appreciate the concern or whatever, but I'm fine."

"You're not fine!" Grace finally snapped, louder than she meant to. Her hand flew to cover her mouth as Steph stared at her in shock.

Lex glanced around them warily. The team was still practicing, but a couple of other students that were hanging around had started to look their way. She could practically hear the rumors flying already.

Their time was running out.

"I'm sorry, Grace, but you don't get to decide that." Steph narrowed her eyes as Grace quickly moved to stop her from standing up.

"You don't get it. Steph, your dad, he's a murderer." Grace's voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper as Steph watched her carefully. After a moment, her earlier irritation seemed to fade away as amusement danced in her eyes.

Sighing, Lex realized with some annoyance that once again Grace had been right. She looked up at Lex with pleading eyes as Steph smirked.

"Alright, guess that's why I'm here." Lex sighed, suddenly feeling how tired she was. "What's it going to take for you to believe her?"

"Are you kidding? You believe her? They're just rumors. Everyone in the history of politics ever has 'killed' someone." Steph laughed. "You both need to be online more."

"But this is Hatchetfield Steph." Grace replied seriously.

"You said you wanted to show me something, right? You got a body buried in the woods somewhere? A murder weapon or something?"

Grace's eyes lit up as she nodded enthusiastically, missing the sarcasm entirely. As she did, Steph's grin slipped off her face. Looking between Grace and Lex, she stood up, tossing her bag over her shoulder.

"Don't tell me you guys actually found a body." She narrowed her eyes as Grace grinned, concerning both Steph and Lex with just how wide it was.

"This one," Lex started, tapping Grace's head, "found a body. I just found her and took her home after."

Steph stared at her, ignoring Grace entirely as she looked Lex up and down. Even while she attending school, Lex didn't interact much with anyone outside her small circle of peers. Classes were usually spent either getting in trouble with the teachers or pouring over copied notes that didn't make any more sense than the ones she tried to take herself.

Still, everyone had heard of the mayor's daughter. Rumors flew almost as frequently about her as they did about Lex. Luckily, having a big fancy house and a rich dad seemed to spare Steph from anything too harsh spreading about her.

"If you want me to believe her, then I gotta see what's got even Lex Foster freaked out." Steph said plainly, pulling on her backpack fully as she moved to stand next to Grace.

They both faced her expectantly.

"No."

"Lex-"

"I'm getting home on time tonight, and you told your parents you were done going out." Lex snapped, feeling her face twitch.

Everything kept coming back to those same fucking woods.

"It's not like I'm digging around for anything this time. We already know where it is, we can just go see it, show Steph and then leave. No big deal."

Steph's laugh caught in her throat as she stared at Grace in equal parts amusement and concern.

"You are a freak, Chasity."

Lex watched them carefully, seeing the wariness start to fade from Steph's eyes, curiosity replacing everything else. Her jaw locking, Lex realized that if she left now, Grace would get her wish either way.

She was going back to those woods. With or without Lex.

Her head began to hurt, her lungs tightening as she realized just how long it had been since she had last had a smoke. Lex's hand went to her nose as she heard Grace gasp in excitement, reading the resignation in her posture.

"Fine. I'm driving. In and out, and then we all go home. Got it?" Lex asked, looking sternly as Grace as she nodded quickly.

Turning around, Lex found herself eager to leave the gym as practice was drawing to a close, more and more eyes finding their way to her. Pushing through the double doors leading out of the gym, Lex froze. Through the lingering crowd of students she spied Ziggy, Deb and Alice all gathered around an open locker. Alice and Ziggy were in deep conversation as Deb leaned lazily against a nearby wall. Her eyes were closed.

Grace peered around her back, trying to see what had her stopped.

"Oh! Are we going to ask-"

"No." Lex growled, tearing her eyes off of the group as she moved more quickly through the hallway.

She could feel Grace's worried eyes on her, ignoring them as she pulled at her hood, readjusting it on her head. Behind her she heard Steph whisper a quick question at Grace, who answered it equally as quiet.

It took until they had pulled out of the parking lot for any conversation to start again. Lex looked up at the sky, checking where the sun was as she drove back towards the edge of town.

"So... Steph." Grace started off carefully in the silence. "Did your dad ever talk to you about a book?"

Lex caught Grace's eye in the rearview mirror, her eyes narrowing.

"Besides telling me to pick one up from time to time? No." Steph answered plainly, looking up from her phone as she glanced at Grace. "Why?"

Grace started to answer before catching Lex's glare. Her jaw closed with a quick snap as she sat up straighter, looking out the window awkwardly.

"Just uh, curious." Grace admitted carefully.

"Alright... so say this body actually exists. What makes you so sure my dad is the one that killed them?"

Grace carefully fiddled with something in her lap as Lex realized that she was still carrying around the locket from last night.

"Just a hunch." Lex answered, sparing Grace from having to come up with something. "Might have to do with the fact that we found it near your house."

"What about the woods? Did your dad go to visit the woods often?" Grace asked quickly, following up on Lex's statement before Steph had a chance to retort.

"No? I don’t know?" Steph shrugged, growing a bit more exasperated. "Look, I don't really care what he's up to. Just like he doesn't give a crap about me. We haven't been close enough to actually talk since..."

The girl trailed off, her jaw clenching as she scowled. Grace caught Lex's eyes in the mirror once more. This was a bad idea. In more ways than one. Maybe she could convince the two to call it off-

"Just forget it. Let's go see this stupid body so I can tell you both you're crazy." Steph said quickly, leaving the conversation to die out in an awkward silence.

Lex pulled them down the road she had followed last night, her hand falling to her leg as she kept her palm facing up. Like she expected, after a moment of driving into the tree cover, the scabs began to bleed through. The bleeding was slower than it had been last night, though the thought was little comfort.

At least they were going while the sun was still up.

Grace sat forward in her seat, leaning over Lex's shoulders as she kept her eyes peeled for the site. As Lex recognized the tire tracks she had carved from the night before, Grace sat back, unbuckling her seatbelt and bolting from the car the moment it stopped.

Lex took a deep breath as Steph sat forward, looking at her.

"So. To be clear. We're out here to see a dead body that you and Grace think my dad killed?"

Lex grimaced. Eventually it would come out just who Grace thought was buried out here, why it made them both certain that Lauter had to be involved somehow. For now, it seemed like Steph wanted to think this was all one big prank. Silently Lex wished it was.

"Yep." She answered plainly, opening the door and getting out.

Steph followed her lead stiffly, the car door slamming shut echoing in the silence that was nearly unbearable. Ahead of them Grace was carefully climbing the hill, stopping to pick up the shovel that Lex had dropped last night. Instead of moving to follow her right away, Lex took a look at their surroundings, the air cold and stale around them. She briefly wondered if Cross's green eyes would still glow while there was light out. The air was stale and cold as Lex looked around them carefully. She briefly wondered if Cross's green eyes would glow while there was still light out. She hoped it wouldn't make him harder to see.

Maybe they should have grabbed Holloway-

"What the fudging heck?!"

Without hesitation, Steph quickly raced up the hill, following Grace's cry. Lex's own legs felt like lead as she dragged herself towards the grave site, hearing Steph's shaky gasp as they both laid eyes on the sight in front of them. Grace was standing over the pile of fresh dirt she had turned over the night before, her hand clutched to her chest as she stared with wide eyes down at the ground.

Something buzzed in Lex's ears, her blood turning cold, staring at the body in front of her. It was in the exact same position that they had left it in, with one arm uncovered and the torso and head almost completely exposed. There was just one major difference.

The body in front of them wasn't the one they had found last night.

The person laying before them still had skin that had gone pale and eyes that had a glassy glaze over them, looking not up at the sky, but directly at those standing above it.

Almost as if blaming them for its own demise.

"What. The. Fuck." Steph breathed out quietly. "What the actual fuck?!"

"Steph!" Grace chided, her own eyes just as disbelieving as she looked around them wildly.

"What do you mean Chasity?! I thought this was some sort of joke, not for real!" Steph snapped back, her hand gesturing to the body laying half buried.

Lex hadn't been able to tear her eyes from it. The fact that it had changed wasn't the most horrifying part. Her heart beat slowly in her chest, as reluctant to face the truth as she was. His glassy eyes still stared at her. They were the same ones that had once glared at her with a foreign hatred.

The ones that flashed in pain as she drove the boxcutter he had been wielding deep into his shoulder.

"Isn't that Max's dad?! He's been missing since the riots, how the hell did he end up out here? And why didn't you two, I don't know, call the fucking cops or something?!"

"This... this isn't what we found last night."

"Oh so you just found a different body out in the woods that you wanted to show me instead?!" Sarcasm dripped heavily from Steph's words, almost able to hide the growing panic in her voice.

Grace looked over to Lex for help, to no avail. Her own eyes were locked on the body's shoulder. Maybe it was only a coincidence that it happened to be the same one Grace had uncovered from the skeleton last night. Maybe it was a warning. The last time Lex had seen it, the blade had still been sticking out, the man unable to remove it in shock or delusion or whatever it was that had him running away that night. She didn't remember the wound being that big... that hollow. His shirt had been stained a reddish-brown, dried blood mixing with the loose dirt around him and sticking in dripping patterns down his chest.

Toyzone's only box-cutter, the one Lex remembered him carrying that night, had been neatly tucked into his shirt's pocket. Lex could still feel it in her hands, still felt the ghost of it against her neck. It had been sticky with Frank's blood...

It was too quiet. Too still. Lex knew the forest was supposed to make sounds. The December breeze was supposed to kick up and burn their faces. It was meant to be the chill in their bones.

"That woman from last night, do you think she came out here and I don't know, changed it? Is that something the book can do too?!" Grace asked, pulling at Lex's arm. Pulling her back from the grave she had somehow taken several steps closer to.

"So you guys did go to someone? If that's the case why the hell is he still out here?" Steph asked, leaning against a nearby tree as she turned away from the body, looking sick.

"Lex?" Grace was still standing at her side, looking up at her carefully.

In the distance, the wind finally began to howl.

"Let's go."

Her voice was taken away by the gust of air that blew past all of them. Familiar words, names, carried past Lex's ears as Grace looked up into the space around her.

"Poko... T'noy-" Grace mumbled next to her, before her eyes widened. "Those sound like what I read-"

"Doesn't matter." Lex growled quickly, tearing her arm from Grace's grasp as she reached forward and snatched the box cutter from the man's pocket.

The lip of his pocket caught on the latch of the knife, the weathered fabric ripping apart as she pulled. It tore halfway down his chest before the knife finally pulled free, his shoulder now fully exposed. The pale and pallid nature of his skin let everyone know he had been dead for several days at least, but the wound Lex had made was still fresh. The exposed flesh oozed fresh scarlet blood, as if the shirt itself had merely been a bandage, now ripped away.

The wind shifted. It blew in her face, kicking up the dust around them as Lex was forced to close her eyes. In the blackness she saw the man lunge at her, saw her hand lift and raise, driving the blade deep into his shoulder. She had been trying to keep his attention away from the other two. To stall for time.

Sherman's face, his eyes, appeared next.

She had been trying to protect herself.

Her hair whipped past her face as she stumbled back and away from the body. The names faded to whispers as the wind howled a new accusation.

Murderer.

Lex buried the boxcutter deep into her own pocket, turning back towards Grace and Steph who were now watching her warily. In the distance, they all heard the sound of approaching footsteps. Steph pushed off the tree as she turned to try and face the source of the noise.

"What the hell is that?!"

Grace's eyes continued to stare down Lex.

"What's going on?" She asked, a hint of suspicion bleeding into her words.

"There! Among the trees!"

"You can't hide!"

This time the words weren't just hidden in the wind. The voices sounded like they were coming from all around them. Steph grabbed her arm as she tried desperately to see who they belonged to. Grace bent low, her eyes still on Lex as she reached below her and grabbed the shovel she had dropped last night.

"Car. Now." Lex growled lowly, finally unfreezing as she moved quickly back down the hill. Steph followed her wordlessly as Grace looked behind them at the body at her feet.

Lex waited for her to turn back. Grace's still bandaged hands clenched tighter to the shovel in her grip. With another cry from the disembodied voices she finally, thankfully, turned around, leaving the body behind as she followed Lex and Steph at a sprint.

All the doors slammed shut at once as Lex twisted the key in the ignition. Shifting it out of park, she went to twist the wheel to pull them back on the road. Her grip still slippery from the blood oozing from her hand, it skated off the already slick leather and slammed into the dashboard. Lex winced as the bruises from her fight with the mailbox caused her hand to tense and freeze. Cupping it on her lap, she yanked the wheel with her other hand as Grace, having climbed into the front seat, reached over to help turn it.

Swiping away the excess blood from her hand onto her jeans, Lex swatted Grace's hand away as she moved to grip tighter to the wheel. The car tore down the same road they had followed before, the wind buffeting it as Lex struggled to keep the wheel from shaking.

"I don't get it! Did Lauter kill another person? Why?! We have the book, there wouldn't be a point-"

"Lauter didn't kill him." Lex answered stiffly.

She was more than aware of the blood still on her hands as her knuckles went white. Her eyes kept watch ahead of her, hoping they wouldn't need to swerve, hoping the tracks they had left would mean they didn't get lost.

"If it wasn't him, then who else would even know what we found?! Where we found it." Grace's eyes bore into the side of Lex's head as she pressed the gas pedal down and ignored the question.

The man had run off. He had been under Wiggly's spell, or control. He couldn't have died. At least not that night. Lex knew they were on the other side of town from Hidgen's property. If he was all the way out here, if he was buried in that position-

Someone must have seen them. Toyzone's box-cutter being placed in his pocket was only a warning.

Someone knew what Lex did. What Grace had found.

"Lex?"

Grace's voice was quiet, fear causing it to crack just slightly. In the backseat Steph leaned forward, her hands gripping to Grace's seat, looking to her for answers. Grace looking to Lex for anything.

Her wide eyes searched for some sort of answer, some sort of explanation in Lex's own. When she didn't find it, her hand fumbled to the car door, grabbing at the handle as she swallowed stiffly. Lex's hand moved on its own, locking the doors.

After a minute more of tense silence, Lex finally found some relief in seeing the town beyond the woods. She spun the wheel as they exited, pulling it off to the side of the road as she took a few deep breaths.

She knew without looking that her hand had stopped bleeding, wiping it off again on her jeans. Clenching her fist, she looked around them.

Just like before, the road lead them to somewhere beyond where they had originally entered. Despite the tire tracks she swore they had followed the entire time. Lex barely recognized where they had exited, never having a reason to be on this side of town. At the top of a nearby hill was a large church, it's steeple blocking what was left of the setting sun. It's shadow cast a sharp, pointed blade into the woods themselves.

Grace stared up at it as Steph took a shaky breath.

"Ok, what the fuck is going on?"

Turning back around, Lex saw Steph now leaning forward, glaring at her. Her body blocked Grace's as she realized the question had turned from a panicked confusion to a protective growl.

It was then that Lex realized just how afraid Grace had grown. Somehow, the look in her eyes didn't seem to hurt as much as Alice's had.

Maybe she was just surprised it took this long.

"I'm taking you both home."

"No." Grace argued, finally finding her voice as she placed a gentle hand on Steph's shoulder.

Checking between them, Steph rolled her eyes impatiently as she retreated back to the backseat. Grace met Lex's eyes evenly, the fear retreating.

"No, I know what I saw, that wasn't what we found last night." Grace lectured, her voice taking on its familiar air of false authority. "And you know why."

Lex ignored her, turning to Steph.

"You know how to get home from here?"

"Lex."

"Grace it's whatever-"

"No, Steph. It's not!" Grace practically shouted, shattering the quiet that had existed before. Lex did her best not to flinch at the sight of frustrated tears now gathering in her eyes. "For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known."

Another biblical quote. Lex knew that it meant Grace was finally feeling out of her depth, falling back on the words she had memorized. Her hands let go of the shovel she had been carrying, reaching into her pocket and pulling out the locket they had found. Almost as if to remind herself that it still existed.

Lex ignored her pointed stare as she turned back to Stephanie, waiting for an answer.

"Head down the road here and take a left." She sighed as Grace looked back at her, her eyes flashing in betrayal.

Lex silently followed her instructions, pulling down the backroad behind the manor. Just like before, they hadn't been far from where they started. She parked the car outside the front gate. As soon as they stopped, Steph quickly got out. Holding the door open just slightly, she leaned back inside.

"Grace." She called softly, grabbing the girl's attention as she looked up from the locket. "Did you want to talk uh... more?"

"One sec." Grace answered softly.

Shrugging, Steph closed the door behind her, turning to lean against the car as she waited.

"Lex-"

"Someone saw you." Lex growled plainly.

"So? It's probably Lauter trying to cover his tracks. That just means we need to-"

"We aren't doing anything. You're going to stay the fuck out of this."

"I am not going to stay the fudge out of this!" Grace snapped back. "Our mayor is out there killing people and you want me to just-"

"I killed that man, Grace." Lex said plainly, stopping her cold.

Neither of them spoke. Lex could see the wheels in Grace's head start to spin, looking down at the knife they both knew was still in her pocket. For a moment, the disbelief clung to her face, evident in her expression. Then it changed. As it always did.

With Lex's admission, Grace finally saw her the same way everyone else did.

Alice had been right all along.

It was weird they were ever friends.

"I don't believe you." Grace lied, her voice quiet. "You're not like that."

"What we saw out there was a warning. And now you're done getting involved."

"If you killed him, how'd you do it?"

Lex sat back in her seat, shaking her head irritably.

"You saw the knife in his pocket. You saw his shoulder. What do you think I did?" She asked sarcastically. Of course Grace wouldn't just focus on the one thing she wanted her to do.

"So you stabbed him in the shoulder?"

"Yeah, Grace, I did. Now get out." Lex growled.

"But you didn't stab him in the chest?" Grace's eyes narrowed.

"Does it matter?"

"If you wanted to kill him, yeah, it does."

With a sigh, Lex stared behind Grace at Steph. Her phone was hanging forgotten at her side, her hand digging into the case as she kept a careful watch around them. Despite the way she tried to hold herself, Lex could see the anxiety growing in her shoulders as she waited.

Lex tilted her head towards her.

"She's waiting. Tell her whatever you want, show her the necklace. I don't care. If I hear you go anywhere near those woods again, I'm calling Duke and telling him exactly what you've been up to these last couple of days."

Grace bristled as her eyes flashed in frustration. She shoved the locket back into her pocket, grabbing the shovel at her feet. Taking one last look at Lex and seeing that she wasn't bending, she opened the door.

Steph immediately moved to face her, her stony expression turning concerned as she saw Grace's face. The girl stopped, taking a deep breath before turning to say one last thing-

With the slam of the car door on words she couldn't care to hear, Lex didn't look back as she finally headed home. With a grimace, she realized that her earlier statement to Tom wouldn't be true.

She was going to get home after the sun had gone down.

***

Instead of finding everyone in the living room like she expected, Lex found Paul, Emma, Tim and Hannah all gathered around the kitchen table. Walking over to put an arm around her sister, Lex frowned at the game they had chosen.

It felt almost mockingly ironic.

"Clue?"

"Tim wanted to play." Hannah explained.

"Didn't realize I had such a nerd for a nephew." Emma teased as Tim stuck out his tongue, rolling the dice before moving his player into the lounge.

As he looked through his cards, Lex checked the clock on the stove.

"Those two not back yet? Didn't think a date would take this long." She frowned.

Paul let out a stiff laugh.

"Well, if I was approached with something as big as that I'd need more than a couple of hours to talk-"

Emma roughly elbowed him as he flinched, looking over at her confused. After a moment his eyes widened as his girlfriend irritably sighed. Lex watched it carefully, more than aware that they were hiding something. She remembered the way Tom had been acting that morning as her stomach twisted. Suddenly she could feel how tired she was, her shoulders unbearably heavy as she wiped at her face.

Opening her eyes, she saw that Paul was now watching Hannah carefully. Emma was still looking to her, trying to figure out something Lex didn't have the energy to understand.

"I'm sure Tom will tell you about it when he gets home." Emma offered with a stiff shrug.

Lex returned the gesture with a stiff smile, neither of them really believing it was the truth. Yawning, her arm slid off of Hannah's shoulder as she stretched. That was a problem for tomorrow. Her palm twinged in pain as she shook her head.

"Whatever."

Patting Hannah on the head, Lex turned to head upstairs, feeling her feet drag as the past two days caught up with her. As much as her bed was calling her, she didn't go straight to her room, stopping by the bathroom to clean up her hand first. The last thing she needed was Becky getting on her case about an infection, worrying her further. Especially since Lex still had yet to explain how she got this newest injury, something she knew was causing the nurse stress.

Before flicking on the water, Lex took another look at herself in the mirror. Somehow she looked different then she had that morning. Her hair was frayed from the wind and the bruising around her throat looked worse than it had been. Staring at the dark patterning, she couldn't help but think of Sherman, her hands falling to the counter to support her as her vision and balance swayed. Her throat tightened painfully as the wind's howl echoed in her ears.

That man in the forest hadn't been the only person she had killed.

Her body still shaking, Lex realized that just washing her hands wasn't going to be enough. After taking a moment to catch her breath, she stumbled into her room, intent on grabbing a change of clothes. She froze as she saw the familiar sweatshirt hanging off the chair.

It should have been gone by now.

Rolling her eyes, Lex plucked it from where it had been resting the last 2 nights, shoving it out of sight and deep into her backpack. She moved to the closet next, pulling out a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt from the very few belongings she kept in there. Looking down at her blood covered jeans and dirt stained jacket, Lex sighed as she realized that she'd need to do laundry tonight if she wanted clean clothes for work tomorrow. With the comforting annoyance that came with the idea of performing basic chores, she made her way back to the bathroom.

Lex knew it would take more than a shower to wash away the grime she felt underneath her skin, but at the very least she could scrub at it until her skin bled.

***

It was hours later when Tom and Becky finally returned. Lex heard the door open and close downstairs, still lying awake in the silence. She hadn't been able to bring herself to do laundry. Hadn't been able to force herself to sleep. Muffled voices floated up from downstairs, Emma and Paul said their goodbyes before the door swung closed again.

After several minutes, Lex heard the sounds of Tom's heavy footsteps outside the door. Her brow raised as she heard him clear his throat. He knocked stiffly on the wood, waiting for an answer.

"What?"

Her voice felt disconnected. Lex scowled as she sat up against the wall, finally bringing herself to move since coming back from her shower. Outside the door she heard Tom anxiously shuffle.

"Need to talk to you about something."

Lex remembered the way he had been acting this morning. Remembered Emma's sharp jab at Paul's side.

"I'm trying to sleep." It was only a half-lie. When it didn't seem to drive him away, she added, "You can bother me about it tomorrow."

"Right..." Tom answered as Lex could tell he was unconvinced. His familiar drawl almost felt normal, like some sort of piece of her life managed to escape today unscathed.

After a moment he let out a heavy sigh, finally leaving the doorway as his bootsteps echoed down the hall. They stopped halfway to the stairs.

"Alice called again." He called out, seeming more tired than anything. "Maybe make sure she knows you're alive tomorrow."

Instead of answering, Lex bit the inside of her cheek to keep the words she wanted to say from coming out. It wasn't her job to babysit everyone's feelings. Alice would be fine. Grace would be fine.

Lex wasn't sure how much time had passed from Tom leaving to Hannah opening the door to their shared room. Her eyes hadn't been able to leave her backpack, staring at the box cutter tucked away in it's side pocket. It took her a second to register she was no longer alone, blinking as she gave her sister her attention. Despite the heavy weight that felt like it was pressing down into her back, crushing her chest, Lex sat up straight, making room on the bed next to her.

"Did you win?" She asked, her voice sounding a bit more like her own.

Her sister nodded, not moving from the door.

"Did you see what was happening?"

Shaking her head, Hannah swallowed.

"No." She admitted as Lex stared at her. "I didn't want to."

They both knew that fact hadn't mattered in the past. Hannah had always been a victim to what she saw. Lex tried to think of it as a positive sign, still very much aware that neither of them had heard from Webby in over a week now. With everything else that was going on, it almost felt like nothing could be a good sign.

Hannah finally moved to sit next to her sister, watching her carefully.

"What's that look for?"

"Something happened." Hannah answered simply. "Again."

"Shit's always happening." Lex shrugged before shooting Hannah a half smile. "It's why I'm always sooo fucking tired." She drawled, falling onto her back on the bed.

Rolling her eyes, Hannah grabbed the blanket, tossing it over both of them as she laid down next to Lex. It was obvious she was still waiting for an explanation. With a sigh, Lex lifted up her hand, looking at her palm. The shower had done a fairly good job at cleaning it up, the gashes looking pale and distant, almost blending into the callouses on her hand.

For a moment, she couldn't even make out the designs.

"Holloway's got the blade and the book." Lex admitted. "And after today, hopefully no one else drags me into those haunted ass woods."

Instead of answering her, Hannah merely hummed, lifting her own hand up to lay against Lex's. Deep down, she knew Hannah was growing up and growing up fast. It had been mostly selfish reasoning that Lex didn't take the spare bedroom once Emma and Paul moved out.

Looking up at her sister's hand, still smaller than her own, Lex closed her fist, intertwining their fingers as she squeezed it gently.

This wasn't something she was ready to lose.

Not yet.

After a moment, she brought their arms down, resting them in the space between their bodies. She looked up at the ceiling, feeling calmer then she had all day.

"Any idea what Tom wants to talk to me about?" She asked quietly after a moment, only slightly disappointed at Hannah's quiet no.

"Guess we'll find out tomorrow." Lex sighed.

She asked her how school was going, more than grateful for Hannah's ability to fill in the silence that had been haunting her all night. Her sister talked about a new kid she had met the other day. Some boy named Daniel. Lex found out that he was quiet, but that he really liked chocolate. He had offered to share some with her during class, almost getting them both in trouble. Together they had come up with a plan to talk with another girl in a different class, a transfer from Sycamore. They thought her name was Sophia and according to Hannah, she might as well been the coolest kid in the entire school. Even though she sat completely alone at lunch.

Her sister only slowed as her yawns became more and more frequent, and after several moments of long silence, Lex looked over to find her completely asleep. Smiling, she gently undid their hands, making sure to pull the blanket up to further tuck Hannah in. Taking a deep breath, she felt sleep begin to call for her as well. Risking shutting her eyes and facing the horrors from the previous day coming back, Lex was thankfully greeted by an empty nothingness.

A small blessing. One she didn't take for granted as sleep came eagerly. Almost as if her body was as ready to be as done with the day as she was.

Chapter Text

The house was quiet, quieter than it should have been. Lex was more then used to waking up before everyone, but this silence felt different. It felt empty. Her eyes opened as she checked at her side to see Hannah still asleep, snoring softly.

The racing in her chest calmed just slightly as her nerves were still on edge. Lex slid out of bed, carefully untangling herself from the blanket as she stood on the cold floor. After making sure she hadn't woken her sister, she quietly opened the door to check the rest of the house.

Immediately the silence made more sense. Across the hall, Tom and Becky's door was open, neither of them inside. Before making her way downstairs, Lex stopped at Tim's door. Feeling a bit more relief at the fact that both kids were still home and safe, Lex made her way down the steps. She checked the kitchen first, walking over to the coffee pot that was still hot. Looking up at the clock on the microwave Lex figured both Tom and Becky must've just left an hour early for whatever reason. On the counter were the keys to Tom's car, still exactly where she left them last night.

With a sigh, Lex grabbed them, sliding them into the pocket of her sweatpants.

At the least the ride would give her time to do some laundry.

As she turned to move back upstairs and gather what clothes she and Hannah had to get done, something new caught her eye. Hanging haphazardly on the fridge by a single magnet was a note. Frowning, she moved over to it, pulling it from where it had been messily hung as she read through it.

 

Lex,

Left early today. Becky reminded me to leave a note so you didn’t worry. Car is yours again. Should be home by the time the kids get off.

 

Lex held the slip of paper gingerly, smirking slightly as she realized that Tom had forgotten to sign it. Her eyes read through the lines again as the smile slowly fell from her face. She understood Becky's worry, but she wasn't a kid anymore.

Unfortunately that thought didn't stop the memories from rising. Suddenly Lex couldn't help but think about all the times Pam had left the trailer, for whatever reason. When she was younger it would terrify her to be left alone. Webby had always tried her best to distract her, but…

Scowling, her hand crumpled the note in her fist.

Of course it was fitting that her mother had left her life the same way she had left her back then. Without a note. Without a warning. Like she meant nothing.

Laundry was a welcome distraction, even if the blood still coating her jeans left her grimacing. After the mall, the multiple bodies she had seen, the bodies Grace had found, Lex was ready to be done with the gruesome side of Hatchetfield. Ready to go back to only seeing it in the horror movies she loved to watch. Her heart sank just slightly as she realized she would have to find someone new to watch the classics with her, not that Ethan was ever really thrilled about them in the first place.

And Hannah saw enough in her visions to not care for some film-maker's best attempts at scaring her.

The morning went fast and Lex pulled up at Miss Retro's a little before 8, surprised to see Holloway's Firebird already parked and the lights on inside. She pushed through the front door as the bell signaled her arrival. Miss Retro herself didn't turn from where she was standing, looking over the glass case Lex had noticed when they were first brought here.

Moving to see what had the woman's attention, Lex's eyes naturally fell again to the toys. Holloway must've taken the time to polish them, the dust rag hanging out of the front of her apron as the boxes looked almost as good as new. Lex's shoulders slumped forward as a small smile grew on her face. It almost matched Holloway's reflection in the mirrored glass behind the collectables.

"You know, my old boss, Frank… he would've gone crazy for these."

Miss Holloway laughed warmly, her smile becoming a bit less sad as her eyes sparkled.

"Oh yes, Mr. Frank Pricely. That man always tried to make a deal with me. I kept telling him they weren't for sale, but he'd always say the same thing-"

"Everything's for sale." Lex echoed with a small laugh. "Not like he had any money to back that up. Could barely afford to keep me working for him."

Lex's chest felt heavy once again, a familiar sadness. It wasn't crushing, a lot of her memories had only become lighter in the time away from that awful night in the mall. She tried to keep her smile on her face, eventually watching it fall in the reflection.

Frank was a dick. He always thought he knew what was best for her, and wasn't quiet about it either. Always on her ass about posture or attitude or grammar. He never liked Ethan, thought Hannah was crazy.

Looking at the replica Grey Skull Castle, still packaged and premium, Lex swallowed.

She missed him.

With a deep breath, Holloway gently set a hand on her shoulder, turning them both away from the case.

"Anyways." She announced cheerfully as she patted Lex's arm softly and moved towards the counter. "How'd last night go? I didn't hear from Duke about that girl, Steph? I have to assume that means you two didn't scare her too bad."

Almost immediately Lex felt her body tense up. The flash of memory from last night caused her to flinch, still seeing the man's wound. The box cutter in his pocket.

"Don't know. Don't care. Grace always needs something to fix, so it's her problem now." She shrugged stiffly.

She could feel Holloway's eyes on her.

"Right…" She said unconvinced. "And you?"

"What about me?"

Lex's eyes shot up to meet her stare. For a moment, there was a flash of guilt. It felt familiar. Like the same worry she had seen in Tom's eyes yesterday morning. After a moment Holloway smiled, hiding it away under her signature charm. Like it hadn't existed.

With everything Lex had seen, maybe it never did.

"What are you planning to do now that you don't have to run around and chase myths and monsters?" Holloway teased instead.

"I plan on working my life away, like the last two weeks never happened." Lex growled as Holloway smiled again, a bit more forced this time.

Rolling her eyes, she pushed back into the kitchen, leaving Lex with no other choice but to follow. Sliding her jacket onto one of the hooks in the back, Lex heard the oven open, not realizing she had been smelling something baking the entire time.

Turning around, Holloway was pulling out a fresh pie, setting it gently onto the counter as she let it cool off. Catching Lex watching, she smirked.

"Figured I'd get this started early. Might help loosen Mr. Lauter's tongue when I try to find out a bit more about just what he's been up to these last few years."

Her eyes shone just slightly as Lex shivered. Underneath the warmth Holloway normally put out, the glint in the lower light of the kitchen almost felt dangerous. Under those eyes, Lex considered telling her about the body they had found on the second night. Considered confiding her fears that someone had been watching them or asking about the terrified girl she had seen. As Holloway turned back to her pie, Lex decided against it.

Whatever hallucinations she was having would stop eventually. They only ever happened in the woods anyways. Without Grace bothering her anymore, nobody would have a reason to drag her out into them. She decided to focus on that, ignoring the memory of Grace's eyes changing as they stared at her.

The same eyes she thought would always only see the good that Lex wasn't sure ever existed in her.

They opened the doors at 8:12, Holloway making an extra show of flicking on her new OPEN sign that she must've gone out and bought yesterday. Shaking her head and rolling her eyes, Lex took up relaxing at the front counter. Holloway asked her about Hannah, asked if she would need to leave early for her. Remembering Tom's note, Lex planned to run and grab her over her lunch, assuring Holloway that she would be back for whatever afternoon 'rush' they would have.

As the time ticked closer to 8:30, Holloway suggested Lex take the next day off. Before Lex could protest, she reminded her they had discussed only opening on the weekends anyways. They'd be open until 8 tonight to see how it goes, both take the next day off, and play it by ear from there.

Knowing better then to fight against the person paying her, Lex bit her tongue. Honestly, she didn't mind the distraction work gave her, but at least Hannah would be happy to have her home for the night.

Maybe her and Tom could finally talk about whatever had him so worried…

The bell didn't chime until about 9. Lex looked up lazily from where she had been tracing the patterns in the counter. Holloway came to the front eagerly, pulling out her notebook as she shot their new patron a wide smile. Lex didn't pay the woman much mind, barely listening as she started a simple coffee order.

It was only when her eyes fell to the window and the car that had pulled up next to the Firebird in the parking lot that Lex straightened. Her attention pulled immediately back to the woman as she listened in closer to the conversation happening next to her.

"That would be because I'm new to the area, Miss... Holloway?" The woman's eyebrow raised as the question was obvious in her voice. As Lex looked closer she caught the glimpse of the badge tucked underneath her shirt. Detective Shaprio gave a quick smile as she shrugged. "Moved here from Chicago. Hoped for an easier time."

"The last two weeks must have been quite a shock then." Holloway tilted her head warmly.

Lex turned her back to the pair, hoping to keep her face hidden as she continued to eavesdrop.

"You would think, but then the fucking government swoops in with some bullshit special unit I've never heard of and the entire things gets, poof, taken right out of our hands. Every suspect, every file. All the people still unaccounted for. Back in the city a riot on this scale would've kept us busy for years. Hell, I've got friends back home complaining to me about their own Wiggly related problems." Shapiro continued.

"Well detective, if you're that bored I could certainly use the company here. Been awhile since I've heard anything out of Chicago. Used to be one of my favorite cities to visit. Always had some fun music venues." Holloway offered warmly, turning to Lex with a slight sparkle in her eye.

"Wanna pour two cups of coffee?" She asked, before adding, "Throw in a slice of pie too. To go."

"Alright, how much do I owe you?" Shapiro asked, moving to take out her wallet as Lex took the opportunity to slip into the back.

"Call it $4 for the coffee. The slice is on the house. You can call that incentive to come back."

As the door swung shut behind her, Lex shook her head, hearing the suspicion return to the detective's voice.

"Interesting business tactic you got here, Miss Retro."

Moving over to the coffee pot, she grabbed two paper cups, hoping whoever Shapiro's partner was didn't mind it black considering she hadn't been paying any attention to the early part of the order. Sliding a slice of the still steaming pie into a styrofoam container, Lex irritably hoped to-go orders weren't going to be common.

As they waved the detective goodbye, Lex carefully watched the cop car as it pulled out of the parking lot and down the street. Her face twisted to a scowl as she hoped Macnamara and his unit had some sort of contingency in place for people who helped save the world. Or at least she hoped Holloway's conversational skills would be enough to keep the detective distracted the next time she stopped in.

They had a few more customers filter in through the next couple of hours. Lex helped Holloway take care of them quickly as they came in, coming out to sit out in the diner in between cooking the orders. It cleared out around 2:45, leaving just one customer left. Lex leaned back in the booth she was sitting cross-legged in as she listened to the conversation happening behind her.

"I just could not tell Johnathan that I was coming back to Hatchetfield again this year. It's not like he's ever fully believed me."

"Well, have you considered maybe bringing him along with you next time?"

The lady laughed.

"He would be miserable. I love this little town and all its mysteries but all he'd see is a mudhole."

It was Holloway's turn to laugh as Lex shook her head, covering her own mouth as she leaned forward, resting her head on her arms.

"I suppose a place can be two things. Though I imagine we don't have much to offer someone so in love with Britain. Besides the fog of course." She laughed lightly. "I swear, sometimes it's so thick it seems to get inside somedays. I'm sure it's the same over there."

"Well now Miss, I do think that might just be unique to Hatchetfield. Oooh, perhaps we can call it 'Hallway Fog'. Though likely it will be just another roadblock to add to my search I suppose."

"Well, I for one am glad to see you again, Lucy. Make sure to grab me next time you're headed out to search. You know I love me a good monster hunt."

"To be certain! It has been lovely talking with you again as well. You'll be remaining in town for the foreseeable future I hope? You know I'd never miss a chance to visit Hatchetfield, but it did feel quite different without you around for those dreadfully long years."

Lex turned her head slightly as she heard Lucy stand up, throwing on her coat as she smiled warmly at her and Holloway both. Her eyes widened as she turned back to Holloway.

"Remind me I have got to tell you about the strangest man I ran into the other day. Absolute character that one." She laughed as she held up a hand to wave at Lex.

"It was lovely meeting you Ms. Fo-" The woman stopped herself, her smile growing a little more forced as she realized her error. "Apologies, Lex."

"Nice meeting you too." Lex shrugged, shaking off the gross feeling of her mother's name.

It's not like she could be too mad at the woman anyways. Hearing Lucy go on and on about the incredible and noble Hatchetfield Apeman was certainly the most interesting part of the day by far. The bell rang above the door as the woman disappeared back into her search, Lex watched her head to her car before sitting back in her seat. Behind her, Holloway leaned back as well, throwing an arm over the backrest and onto Lex's side of the booth as she turned to face her.

"Hope you aren't getting too bored over here." She smiled playfully.

"Hard to be when you seem to attract the real weirdos of the town."

Holloway's smile widened as her eyes flicked to check back on Lucy, now driving away in the rental car she had pulled up in.

"Chumby's an old friend of mine. He only stays out of sight because he knows it will keep her coming back."

Lex shook her head as she closed her eyes.

"I am not asking follow-up questions on whatever that was supposed to mean." She said plainly as the woman laughed.

"I've noticed you're quite the listener." Holloway spoke gently after a moment. It didn't feel like she was trying to fill in the quiet, more like it was a genuine observation.

Lex supposed it made sense that she would be studying her. They both existed on their own page in Hatchetfield's weird book.

"Better than sitting alone in whatever music's blaring from that thing." Lex jabbed her thumb at the jukebox as the track switched to the 8th dance song of the decade.

"As if I haven't caught you humming along when you think I'm not paying attention."

"Whatever you have to tell yourself lady."

"So. Did you make things up with Alice? Should I expect her to be stopping by today? At least she seems to have good taste." Miss Holloway teased as she stood up, not noticing the way Lex's shoulders shot up to her ears.

She turned in the booth as whatever expression was on her face had the woman's eyes go wide. She held up a hand in mock surrender, a silent apology. Before either of them could follow up on whatever that was, the bell above the door rang once more. Lex got to her feet, heading immediately to the back.

Solomon Lauter was the very last person she cared to see.

Plating a slice of pie they had stuck back in the oven to keep fresh, Lex grabbed her jacket, throwing it on as she checked the time. She would be a little early before Hannah got out, but Holloway hadn't cared to give her a strict amount of time for her lunch anyways.

She dropped the plate on the table Holloway had sat him at, ignoring the way the man glared at her before his phone caught his attention with a short and irritable buzz.

"Damn it, Miss Tessburger. How many times do I have to tell you, I couldn't care less about some man stopping by the house again. Chase him away the way we do everyone else upset about what happens in this town."

The frigid air helped cool her thoughts as Lex let the door slam shut behind her. It helped numb the growing burning in her nerves as she kept the windows rolled down on the way to pick up Hannah. That same air turned even colder as she waited by the flagpole, leaning against the chilled metal as she spied her sister walking with Tim like normal. This time however, they were joined by two new kids. A lanky boy in a blue hoodie and a slightly older girl in a red vest. The blue hoodie boy waved at her eagerly, turning to Hannah with a smile. The older girl watched her carefully, her eyes flicking between Hannah and Lex as if trying to figure something out. With a shrug, she smiled warmly at Hannah as her little sister waved goodbye to her new friends with a bright smile that Lex realized she hadn't seen in a long time.

Tim filled in the conversation on the way home as he chatted eagerly about Christmas and all the family traditions he couldn't wait to share with both them and Becky. As he chattered on excitedly, Lex was reminded about her own gift for Hannah, resolving to finally take a look at the ukelele tonight. She still had yet to string it with the new strings that Alice-

Her hands tightened on the steering wheel.

Pulling up at the house, Lex grabbed her sister and wrapped her in a tight side hug before watching the two kids run eagerly inside. The temperature had done nothing but drop all day. Looking at Becky's van parked in the driveway, Lex tried to take a deep breath.

It was back to work for her.

There were two additional cars in the parking lot when she got back. Lex took in the same couple from the day before and the familiar sight of the nerds from the library. She caught just a small snippet of their conversation as she passed them quickly, heading to the kitchen to see where she could help.

"… never misses a day. Do you think it's something we need to be worried about?"

"Fuck if I know Pete. Also since when did you care about her being gone anyways?"

Feeling a slight bit of guilt, Lex saw that Holloway had finished cooking both orders, getting ready to carry them all out on two plates as she pushed through to the back.

"Welcome back darlin. Don't worry, I've got these-"

Lex grabbed the tray with the larger order, stopping Holloway as she shrugged off the woman's questioning expression.

"You've got to be paying me for something, right?"

Holloway stared at her for a second longer, waiting for something that never came. After a moment she smiled.

"If you're sure." She said, quickly running Lex through who had ordered what.

The nerds all quieted immediately as she delivered them their food. Their eyes lingered on her as she turned back to the counter, leaning against it as Holloway slid in next to her.

"Know those folks?"

"No."

"They seem to know you." Holloway continued lightly.

"Told you, I have a reputation in this town. And it's not glowing." Lex sighed irritably.

Holloway laughed as she leaned in closer.

"Seems like they'd be easy enough to scare. If you'd like me to get rid of them." She teased.

Lex's unexpected chuckle caught in her throat as she turned to the side to hide her smile.

"They deal with enough at school already." She waved the woman off as Holloway hummed, heading to the back and leaving Lex to watch the counter.

With everyone taken care of and falling into their own quiet conversations, Lex pulled up the single stool by the register as she laid her head down on her arms. Trusting the bell or Holloway to grab her attention if it was needed, she let her eyes close, humming along to the 10th dance anthem of the 80s she had heard that day.

Lex wasn't sure how much time had passed, after what felt like only a few moments, her eyes opened again. On the other side of the counter, Alice Woodward was staring down at her.

"You got a break?"

Blinking, Lex scowled. So much for the bell. Her eyes flicked around them, taking in all that had changed. At some point the nerds must have left, their table having already been cleared. The only people still left were the couple from earlier and now, Alice.

Behind her, Lex could hear Holloway's faint voice talking with someone in the kitchen.

"Besides your nap." Alice clarified, demanding Lex's attention once again.

Apparently a shrug wasn't enough of an answer as Alice sighed, pointedly taking a seat at the counter directly in front of Lex. Her posture was stiff.

"I can wait." There was a hint of a smug smile on her face as Lex threw her head back in irritable defeat.

Shoving away from the table and stretching out her arms that had grown stiff and cold from being laid on, Lex checked one last time on the couple. Their plates had been cleared, but they were still in a deep conversation. Taking a deep breath, Lex made sure to visibly roll her eyes as she pushed into the back.

Holloway's conversation became more clear as Lex spied her between the shelves talking on the phone.

"And how do we know she doesn't already know?" She pointed out carefully to whoever she was talking to.

Lex shook her head as she glanced back into the diner. Alice was still sitting at the counter, her back completely straight as her hand drummed anxiously off to the side. After a moment, she checked her phone before setting it face down in front of her.

"I'm just saying something's clearly bothering her." Holloway sighed.

She was barely paying attention to the one sided conversation happening behind her as Lex accepted the fact that Alice wouldn't just leave. Moving to the sink to wait for Holloway to be free, she started the water, filling the basin as she scraped the plates that had been gathered on the counter.

"It's not like you're making the decision without her. Just opening up the conversation. That's what you told me last night anyways."

After it was halfway full, Lex dumped some extra soap in, swiping her hand through it to call out the suds. Tossing in the dishes to start their soak she turned up the pressure to fill it the rest of the way. For a moment the drone of the music outside and Holloway's conversation faded as she listened to the rushing water.

"I'm not wishing you luck, Duke." Holloway laughed as Lex eventually turned off the faucet and dried her hands. "You don't need it."

As she heard the phone clack back into its holder, Lex turned to see Holloway staring at her, her eyes warm. She peered around the shelves, looking out through the window of the door as she spied Alice.

Her smile only grew wider.

"Done talking with your boyfriend?" Lex asked her irritably.

Holloway took the tease in stride, tilting her head just slightly as she turned back to Lex.

"In here avoiding your girlfriend?" She countered easily.

Lex scowled, the warning from earlier still clear. This time, Holloway didn’t seem to back off the topic, her smile still loose on her face.

"Avoiding her doesn't work." Lex sighed after a moment. Holloway's eyes only grew more mischievous as Lex's hands curled to a fist against her leg. "Mind if I take a 10 to get rid of her?"

"Oh, well, I don't know. The two we have out there are pretty rowdy…" Holloway drawled sarcastically. After a moment she laughed, holding her hand up in lazy wave. "Go."

Grabbing her jacket before Holloway had a chance to say anything else, Lex tried her best to ignore the way Alice's eyes lit up as she came back. Instead she focused on making her way out the door, knowing she'd be followed They made their way silently down the ramp. Not feeling like being trapped when this inevitably went south, Lex opted to lean against the hood of Alice's van, turning to face the diner itself. Alice quietly shifted to relax beside her, her arms tucking into her body as she shivered just slightly.

Lex sighed. At least she wasn't in a thin ass sweater.

Adjusting just slightly to make sure she blocked the wind she could barely feel anyways, Lex looked up at the sky. Despite the sun shining brightly in the clear sky, it was barely able to beat out the chill from the air. Their breath rose in small puffs of steam, disappearing in the amber light of the setting sun.

"Care to fill me in on what's been going on?"

"Sure." Lex said plainly, careful to try and keep the irritation out of her voice. "Grace was being nosey. Now she's not."

Alice sighed heavily, staring at Lex disapprovingly. After a moment, Lex summoned up her most charming sarcastic smile and faced her.

"This the part where I'm supposed ask what's been going on with you?"

Shaking her head, Alice looked back up into the windows of the diner, the light from the sunset catching her eyes. Lex found herself watching them closely, barely catching Alice's answer.

"Nothing." Alice said softly. "Today was the quietest day I've had in weeks."

"That's…" Lex sighed, finally tearing her eyes off of Alice's face as she looked at the ground. Her chest started to feel just a slight bit lighter. "That's good."

"Sure." Alice shrugged. "I just found it funny."

Lex caught herself smiling. Funny wasn't the word she'd use to describe a quiet day-

"Especially because ever since all of this started, Grace hasn't left me alone. I guess that's why it was really weird when she wasn't in school to bother me today."

The wind picked up as Lex used it as the excuse for why a chill ran down her back. Alice looked up into the sky, almost like she could hear the voices within it as well. Her hands in fists in her pocket, Lex's dull nails dug into her palm.

"Side effect of the hanging out with the local dropout." She shrugged it off stiffly. "You should know."

Alice already knew she wasn't going to elaborate. They had known each other long enough that she would know it was a dead end.

Maybe that was why Lex had always given her leeway in her questions. Maybe it was something else.

Risking a glance up, she found Alice staring at her. Studying her. For a moment, Lex felt a flash of fear. Terrified of seeing Alice's eyes change the way Grace's had, Lex quickly turned her head back to the ground.

Grace had probably just called out sick. Probably still shaken by the reveal of just what Lex was. Being afraid of it wasn't going to change anything. It wouldn't be long until Alice eventually realized it too.

A small part of her wished she just had more time.

As Lex stared holes into the ground, trying to focus on the pebbles and dust gathered in the corners of the base of the building, she fought back the images of Mr. Jagerman's body laying half buried in the dirt-

A weight fell into her shoulder, a warmth that chased away the chill in her bones.

"Are you done being an asshole?" Alice asked her quietly, her breath warm against her collarbone as she turned further into the crook of Lex's neck. "Or should I wait to ask what we're doing next?"

Lex felt her entire body relax for what felt like the first time in days, leaning back against Alice as she melted into her.

"We're not doing anything."

"Lex-"

"The book's been found. Nobody has any reason to go into those fucking woods and finding Cross is Holloway's problem now." Lex sighed gently.

Next to her, she felt Alice stiffen.

"You guys found the book?"

Her voice was quiet, hesitant. Lex understood why. She hated it just as much. Wished she hadn't had to see it, hadn't had to touch it. Wished it was something that could've just stayed buried.

"Grace did." Lex answered carefully. She wasn't eager to ruin Alice's day further by telling her just where they found it. Who it was next to. "Holloway's supposed to have it locked away now. Probably wherever she put that fucking dagger."

Alice shifted slightly, her arm sliding down to pull Lex's hand from her pocket. She turned her palm over, running her thumb across the scratches. The scabs had started to heal, taking away any pain they might have once carried, but Lex still stopped her. Her hand intertwined with Alice's, fingers lacing together as she held it softly.

They both knew it was a shitty apology.

"Hopefully that means-"

Alice had barely spoken before the rest of her sentence was taken away by the loud blaring of heavy bass music rattling shitty metal. An ancient van screeched into the lot, the members within all dressed in dark clothing and metal accents. Pulling away from her shoulder, Alice stared at them. Lex looked over lazily, still holding onto her hand as she recognized the band almost immediately.

Though usually they preferred to hang out at Denny's.

She let Alice's hand go as she pushed off the hood with a heavy sigh, knowing her break was over. They watched as the members of Needy Beasts started climbing out of their van one by one, Lex raising a lazy hand to wave at Rose who looked between her and Alice with an amused expression. She waved back with a smirk before the rest of the band herded her inside chanting something about fries.

"You know those guys?" The question came stiffly from behind her as Lex turned back to Alice, surprised to see her watching the group warily.

She laughed.

"I mean, yeah. You know them too. Can't tell me you haven't heard Best of You at least once in your life." She shrugged as Alice looked back at her with wide eyes. "They fucking hate the fact that song took off. Except Rose. But she won't admit it."

"Rose?"

Lex's eyebrow raised at the slight clip in Alice's voice. That was interesting.

"An old ex." She answered the unasked question, trying to figure out why she was so invested in seeing Alice's reaction. Trying to figure out why it was satisfying to see her bristle, just slightly. "Ended real messy."

"You seem fine now."

"We both grew up." Lex shrugged.

Her relationship with Rose was years ago. They were both desperate to be their own people. Desperate to be angry with the world around them. It wasn't really going to last. They were too different and too young to realize that just having anger about it wasn't enough to connect them.

Alice hummed quietly as she took a deep breath and pushed off the hood of the car. Her eyes flicked back up to the diner, watching the band within. After a moment, they fell back to Lex, growing immediately softer.

"So... what happens now?"

Lex sniffed, her stiff laugh rising quickly in cool air in between them.

"Now, princess, I go back in to my shitty job and you get to finally stop hanging around me out of pity or whatever." She smirked.

Despite her expression changing to annoyance, despite her hand raising in an obscene gesture, Alice's eyes never changed. Never hardened. Lex watched them, her face feeling warm. Eventually she was able to shake out of it, realizing with a chuckle that she had never seen Alice flip anyone off. Not aware she was even capable of it.

She tried to cover her unexpected laugh with her hand, but it wasn't enough.

Alice narrowed her eyes.

"Ok, so not done being an asshole. Noted." She grumbled, rolling her eyes and moving to climb back into the van. "Guess I'm just going to have to try again tomorrow."

Lex watched her leave, her body painfully slow to respond until the van had long left her sight. Looking up at the sky with a heavy sigh, Lex shuffled back inside.

***

The sun was just disappearing over the horizon as Lex leaned against the counter next to Holloway, the Open sign having long been turned off as they waited for the group to finish.

Lex had caught up with several of the members of Needy Beasts, hearing about their most recent gig they had booked for Hatchetfield High's Prom. It wasn't the big event they were hoping for like the Honey Festival, but it could get their foot in the door for other events in the town.

Rose had taken an immediate liking to Holloway, chatting with her eagerly off in the corner until she had been called over for her thoughts on a set list they could play. Lex was sure to recommend a few of the songs she knew Rose had written, earning a grateful smile.

They watched the band all sleepily talking, their plates having been cleared away and cleaned. Outside Lex heard the sound of a car door shutting. Looking over at Holloway, she recognized the woman's eyes light up, knowing immediately who it was. Rose peered through the blinds before quickly moving to herd her band into finishing up, shooting Lex a small knowing smile. Duke pushed into the diner just as they were all leaving, Lex watching his expression carefully as she saw his eyes light up in a similar way to Holloway's. A dopey smile grew on his face as they moved to sit down at a booth together, talking quietly.

With a smirk, Lex left them alone, wondering how long it would be until either of them did anything about that. Wondering if maybe Alice would be up for some entertainment of trying to push them along.

She went to the back to finish what dishes they had left, scrubbing them and placing them in the drying rack. The day had thankfully gone fast. It felt overwhelmingly normal in a way that nothing had recently. Lex found herself grateful for it as she drained the sink and watched the suds disappear down the drain. She flicked off the light in the back as she moved to the door, finally catching the conversation happening in the main room.

"So. Are you going to make me ask? How'd it go?"

Lex's hand hesitated as it rested on the door, not moving any further. The sigh Duke breathed felt familiar. Her skin crawled as Lex realized she hadn't heard him sound that defeated since her trial-

"Tom doesn't feel like he's fit for it. He doesn't think Lex would let him."

The diner fell quiet, the song that had been playing fading as the jukebox finally stopped. Lex could feel her heart beating in her throat. Her feet didn't move.

"Well, she is understandably stubborn when it comes to her sister-"

"It's not even that." Duke stopped her exasperated.

Why did it send a chill down her spine?

"I wasn't in the mall on Black Friday. I figured it was going to be bad, but... the stories they told..." He trailed off quietly, taking a shaky breath that Lex should have missed.

Flashes of blood entered her head. Sherman's face. Frank's glassy eyes under his cracked glasses. The way Tom turned around, the green glint of his eyes.

"I mean he attacked her, Holloway." Duke hissed. "Fully under Wiggly's spell or whatever. Him and Becky. Thank god the needle missed-"

Two sets of eyes fell on Lex as she all but fell through the swinging door. Lex stared at them both, taking only a second to see the expression on Duke's face. Reading the answer in his eyes.

He stood up from the booth, holding up his hands as if calming a frightened animal. Lex hadn't noticed, but her hands had been shaking, her fingers clenched in tight fists.

"Alright now, I know this sounds bad. But you have to understand, we're not trying to go behind your back. Tom just asked for the opportunity to talk to you himself first."

Duke continued explaining something about custody. A worry that Pam could make a case if they didn't move fast, everyone knowing that wouldn't be what Lex would want. What Hannah would want.

She didn't hear him. Her arm shot back through the door, turning stiffly to grab her jacket hanging on the hook as she slid into it. Her nerves burned as all she could see was that sickening green glint in Tom's eyes.

Lex might as well been back in the mall. Running through halls, trying to find the one person who she knew how to trust. Hoping he'd make sense of it. Hoping he'd see through the madness.

Hoping he'd see through to her.

When he first turned around, his eyes had fallen to the gun.

The diner had gone quiet, both Holloway and Duke watching her warily. Lex scowled as she realized they had become just like everyone else. Seeing something inside her, something that made them wary.

Her heart skipped in its angry march, tripping in her chest.

Tom was supposed to be different. She needed him to be different.

Her legs moved to carry her to the door, slamming against it as she pushed it open and moved into the black night. Something cracked in the night as it slammed shut behind her. Her hands were still shaking as she shoved them into her pockets.

Lex didn't feel just how cold it had gotten, the cool air merely burning the exact same as the rest of her body.

***

Tom was waiting on the stairs, his entire body tense when Lex came inside. It was clear he had been given a warning. He got to his feet almost immediately as Lex looked past him to Becky, running in from the kitchen.

"Where's Hannah?" Her voice felt and sounded wrong. Disconnected. Like it was coming from outside of her head.

She tried her best to keep it low.

The nurse swallowed, her eyes flicking over to Tom worriedly before tilting her head up the stairs.

"Up in your room. But Lex-"

Lex pushed past Tom, still refusing to look at him as she moved stiffly up the stairs. Her hands clenched to the keys in her pocket. She had enough in savings to get them a room for the night. There was a reason she kept most of their stuff in their backpacks, never quite taking the risk of unpacking.

Maybe this was just what she had always expected to happen.

Her arms shook as she opened the door carefully, just aware enough to not slam it open.

Her sister looked up at her the moment she stumbled in, the book she was reading falling from her hands and onto the bed. Behind her, Lex heard Tom's heavy bootsteps catch up.

"Lex, whatever you heard-"

Lex froze, her anger spiking like a hot lance as she bit down painfully on her lip to keep the words in her mouth. There wasn't a need to yell. Tim didn't deserve that. Hannah didn't deserve it.

She moved to her backpack on the floor, going through it to check that she had everything.

"Duke approached me about it a day ago. He just wanted to consider the options. Neither of us want Hannah going to the state or Pam. Even if you don't trust us then we can at least back you up in the case-"

Lex sniffed, her bitter laugh coming out like a cough. She shook her head as she felt everyone's eyes on her. Her hands fell from her backpack, standing up slowly as she turned around.

Tom still towered over her.

"Tell me it isn't true." Her voice was deathly quiet.

The very air itself seemed to still as the world held its breath. Lex waited for an answer. Becky was standing behind Tom in the doorway, her eyes worried. Behind them both, Lex caught Tim peeking through the door of his room, watching it all unfold.

She heard Hannah slide off the bed.

Tom knew immediately what she was talking about. It was evident in his eyes as they grew heavy with a level of guilt she hadn't seen in a long time. Not since that very first night at Hidgen's. She could see them flash with some sort of trauma, not caring about the hurt on his face. Maybe it wasn't clear enough that she wanted an answer.

"It wasn't their fault-"

"I want to hear it from him." Lex said evenly, clawing at whatever was left steady inside of her to keep the growl from her voice.

It wasn't Hannah she was mad at.

Tom Houston didn't speak. He didn't even move, standing as still as a statue as he looked at her. Really looked at her.

Why couldn't he have done that before?

Biting her lip hard enough to draw blood, Lex lunged forward, her hands shoving against his chest violently.

"Tell me it isn't true!" She cried, her voice breaking as her eyes burned.

Tom barely moved, even with all the force in her body, she couldn't break him. The guilt in his eyes only grew deeper. It felt mocking. Lex's hands curled into fists as she forced herself to take a few steps back, nearly stumbling over her own feet. Her skin burned as the room darkened and narrowed. Her eyes fell to the floor as she realized she couldn't keep looking at him, panting as she tried to catch the breath that felt so stiff in her chest.

She felt Hannah's hand on her arm. It was only barely enough to keep the world from going completely black.

"Come on." Lex said quietly, stiffly moving to grab her bag. She picked up Hannah's as her sister simply stared at her.

"Lex, please-"

"Let her go, Beck." Tom's voice was as broken as Lex felt.

She ignored them both. Hannah still hadn't grabbed her bag.

"Lexi?" Her sister's voice was quiet. Lex stared at her, feeling a cold wash of dread fall over her shoulders and drip down her back.

After a moment, Lex gently set Hannah's bag back down, placing it back in the same place it had been.

Of course she would want to stay.

There was no yelling here. No smell of alcohol, or ash. Most nights were spent together and there was always a reason to come home. According to Tim, they were planning to decorate soon, something Lex had never had enough money to let them do in the past. A tradition she knew Hannah had always wanted. She had always enjoyed the shitty string lights they hung together in the trailer. Lex knew that had never been a home. Not a real one.

Not like this one.

There hadn't been any fights like the ones that had plagued the trailer. No sharp words slung with the intent to hurt. At least, there hadn't been until tonight. Now Lex burned as she stood in the room she had called her own, knowing she was the one who had broken that. With that realization, Lex ignored the voice in her head, the one that sided with Hannah. The one that still trusted Tom. That had always trusted him, even when his eyes had changed.

It was the one that spoke in a young voice, a more innocent voice, crying out that she wanted to stay.

With a shaky breath Lex set down her own bag as she roughly unzipped it, the pins clacking loudly in the total silence of the room. Pulling out the sweatshirt Alice had given her, her hand moved past the gun that was still tucked away. The cold metal made her stomach twist.

Lex thought he had turned around for her...

Nobody moved as she quietly slid out of her jacket, standing up and walking towards Hannah. Lex couldn't help but smile warmly, the act coming easily. In a sudden motion she pulled her sister close, wrapping her arms around her. When she finally pulled away, she made sure to leave the jacket around Hannah's shoulders.

As soon as her arms left her sister, the burning in her nerves spread like wildfire. Refusing to look up, unable to focus on anything, Lex knew she couldn't stay. Couldn't stand the feeling of his eyes avoiding her. Couldn't stand the silence that was overwhelming in her ears. Swiping up her bag, she slung it over her shoulder as she balled the crewneck in her fists. She roughly pushed past Tom and Becky, faintly aware of Tim's eyes following her from his doorway.

Lex flew down the stairs, her shoulder roughly hitting the front door as it flung open in front of her. The night air burned as she took off down the hill, grateful for the blackness surrounding her as she ran further and further from the light cast from the house.

She didn't know where she was going, didn't care. She moved through the town like the world's loudest ghost. It was a late winter night, and everyone who had a home was already in for the night.

Lex already knew she was alone.

Her legs ran past the point of exhaustion, her lungs burning sharply in the winter air. She felt them struggle, felt just how weak her body was. Lex pushed past it, the pain keeping her own violent emotions at bay. She ran until the pavement of the road turned back to gravel, slipping slightly as she kicked up loose rocks in her rush.

Eventually she stumbled up a familiar drive, the only sound being her own labored breathing. Swallowing, Lex stared down at the same wreckage that had been there weeks ago. A laugh broke through her wheezing, coming out in a quiet fit. She had always been the only one who cared. The one who picked up the mess, knowing no one else would. Now that she was gone, of course nobody would bother with the eyesore that was left.

Hatchetfield loved nothing more than to pretend that nothing bad ever happened in it.

Loved nothing more than to pretend she didn't try to exist despite it.

Coughing, Lex struggled against her own chest, feeling as it buckled in laughter she couldn't quite get out. Bitter tears formed in her eyes and froze to the side of her cheeks. It was her fault for thinking that had changed.

That it ever could change.

Closing her eyes to fight back any more tears from escaping, Lex could only see Mr. Houston, his back turned to her. He must've heard something in her voice, probably from his days in the military. He already had known she had used the gun earlier in the night. It was simply out of basic survival that he had stopped.

He was too far gone. He had to have been, to go after her sister. To go after the only thing Lex had. The only good thing that had ever been associated with her own miserable existence.

He hadn't turned around for her.

Lex's breath steadied, a calm falling over her shoulders as she swallowed. Her throat felt like it was full of shards of glass, the dry, freezing air burning as she felt it constrict the way it used to when her neck was first healing. Her legs ached as she moved towards the concrete steps that were still intact.

It wouldn't be the first time she stayed the night on them.

Her head fell backwards as she looked up to a familiar sight. The stars were always brightest on clear winter nights. They danced in a way that let her mind fully empty, completely disconnected from the pain her body was in. The cold that had seeped into her bones, into her chest.

Lex wasn't sure how long she had been out there when the stars finally dimmed. Blinking slowly, she tore her sight away from the sky as she squinted through the pitch black night at the headlights slowly approaching down the road. Behind their halo was another familiar sight.

The mini-van rolled to a stop in front of her, the gravel kicking up and rattling to a stop at her feet. The window rolled down.

"In."

Her body felt like it was being pulled on strings, disconnected, disjointed. Pushing herself off the steps her legs nearly gave out as she tried to stand, not used to having to move after so long spent numb. Her footsteps crunched against the gravel in the quiet of the night. She moved to the passenger side and climbed in, letting Alice drive as her head fell against the window.

Even through the tinted windows of Bill's van, the stars still burned overhead.

***

Lex came back to her body as she found herself sitting numbly on what she assumed was Alice's bed, her back up against the headboard, her legs crossed in front of her. A thick blanket had been thrown on her lap.

There was the quiet sound of occasional clicking as Alice browsed on a laptop, underneath the dull yellow glow of her small desk lamp. The room felt like an entirely different world. Once Lex became aware of the silence, the calm of the night, it burrowed under her skin in a way that made it crawl.

"What time is it?"

Her voice didn't quite sound like her own, but Alice didn't seem to notice. She looked down at the corner of her screen, squinting to make out what it read.

"Like 1ish?"

1 am.

Lex wondered if Hannah had gotten to sleep yet.

Her hands twisted underneath the blanket as they settled in her lap. It was ridiculously soft in a way that only worsened the itching in her nerves. Lex missed the sting of the wind. The cold numbness of the cement underneath her legs.

Alice started typing, chasing away the silence that had been present before. Lex lost herself in the repetitive noise of it all, blinking as she struggled to stay present enough to form a thought.

To feel anything.

Eventually Alice sighed, taking a deep breath as the typing stopped and she gently shut her laptop. Standing up, she stretched as Lex slowly turned to watch her. She hovered at the side of her own bed.

"Scoot." Alice said plainly.

Her body moved automatically towards the wall as Alice slid into bed next to her, picking up the blanket and tossing it over her lap. She leaned back against the headboard, her shoulders relaxed as they brushed against her own.

Lex became aware of just how physically cold she still was. Could still feel it within her chest, like a hollow chill that refused to leave. Despite the blanket, despite the heat. It spread through her body despite the way Alice's soft breathing was a quiet comfort more than even her typing had been earlier.

"How'd you know where I was?"

Her voice was raw. Her throat ached almost as badly as it had those first few days after Black Friday. Her lungs burned just as bad.

"Texted Zigs for the address." Alice responded plainly.

There was something left unsaid in her answer.

Alice was waiting for an explanation, it was evident in the way her hands shifted in her lap. The way she kept checking to her side, almost as if checking to make sure Lex was still there. Lex's own eyes fell to her bag by the door. Alice shifted beside her, moving to make herself more comfortable as she slowly grew closer to Lex. She looked over at the sweatshirt that was placed on top of the backpack, scowling slightly.

"You know, I gave you that so you'd wear it. Not so you could hold it while you waited to freeze to death."

"Wasn't cold." Lex shrugged.

"Tell that to the ice that was on your face." Alice shot back quickly, her voice having the slightest catch to it.

Lex's arms felt stiff as she lifted a hand up and out of the blanket, feeling her cheek. She couldn't tell if it was her hand or her face that felt like it was burning past the chill that had settled on her skin.

"I'm sure your dad's thrilled that I'm here." Lex croaked.

"I've already had to chase him out twice from checking on you. He's convinced you gave yourself hypothermia."

Moving robotically, Lex turned to stare at Alice. To really look at her. She seemed tired, her eyes watery, her mouth tight. She was still looking at Lex's bag, not seeming to notice the eyes on her.

"He was on the phone with Becky for like, an hour after we got back..."

Lex felt nauseous. Her legs kicked out in front of her as she could suddenly feel how restless she had become. She knew she should get back. Hannah was probably worried, and Tim deserved some sort of apology. Tom and Becky would likely be asleep, and if she left early enough she could still avoid them in the morning.

With a sigh, Alice fell against her side, an overwhelming warmth that had Lex's mouth dry and her mind blank once again.

"I already called Hannah. Well... I called Tim at least. He grabbed Hannah for me. Let her know we found you."

Her heart felt like lead in her chest. Lex wished she was still outside. Wished she was still numb. That the only pain she could feel was the sharp and frigid wind. Alice fell quiet as Lex found she couldn't speak. They sat together on the bed as the sounds of Bill's snoring drifted through the walls.

"Is she ok?" Lex croaked eventually, her curiosity unable to settle in her chest.

Alice shifted as she sat up, the cold eagerly rushing to fill in the space she had left behind. If her arms didn't feel so far away from her body, Lex would've pulled her back. If only to keep that warmth.

"She's worried about you."

Instead, her fingers dug deep into the blanket on her lap. Her dull nails buried themselves into her knees below.

"I told her I'd keep an eye on you tonight. That you probably just needed some space-"

"I don't need anyone to watch me." Lex growled quickly, though her chest was missing the emotion that normally came with it.

Her entire body felt like it was missing something. Like a part of her had disconnected, slowly falling further and further away.

"Stop almost dying and maybe I'd believe you." Alice snapped back.

She sat back roughly against the headboard as she slid down to lay flat against her pillows.

The hollow feeling in her chest beckoned her, growing wider as Lex felt herself drowning in it. She stared at the ceiling, closing her eyes as she tried to find the stars she had been watching behind her eyelids.

Instead of the comforting pin points of burning light she had seen earlier, all Lex felt was the overwhelming pressure of her emotions. The same ones she had been fighting back for hours. They rushed forward from the chasm inside, demanding to spill out from her eyes, from her mouth. They demanded a release, holding her breath hostage as her chest caught in steps.

Lex felt a pull on her sleeve. Finding no resistance left in her body, she let Alice pull her down into her chest, wrapping her arms around her back gently.

It only made the pressure worse.

"You're still cold." Alice mumbled, her chin resting on Lex's head.

Lex wanted to apologize. Wanted to explain herself. Alice had no reason to be as safe as she always was. She had no reason to care about her, to know to call Hannah.

She buried her head into Alice's shoulder, the chasm inside her only widening as she unwillingly remembered Ethan. The way his own chest felt. The way he breathed, slow and deep even when he wasn't asleep.

Alice's heart raced. Her breaths were shallow and quick. Her arms shook just slightly as her nails dug in to her shirt, as if she was afraid something was going to take her away. Her nose buried into her hair as Lex could feel her breathing slowly calm.

Her embrace stopped Lex from falling, holding her back from being swallowed whole. The hole inside wasn't anywhere near closing but as Lex closed her eyes, she finally started to feel warm.

Chapter Text

Alice knew that Lex was gone. The comforting weight on her chest was missing, her hands curled into the blanket and not the soft, worn fabric of Lex's t-shirt.

The only breath in the room was hers.

Outside the morning was quiet, Alice could only faintly hear her father downstairs, starting on breakfast with a familiar song. He kept his voice quieter than normal, the way he did when he was trying to let her sleep in. Alice numbly wondered if her dad knew to only make food for 2. Her entire body felt sore as she slowly sat up, her eyes still heavy from the late night. She glanced over to the corner of the room, not surprised when she found Lex's backpack completely missing from the spot she had left it in. Her head turned stiffly to check the rest of the room. Her eyes landed on her desk as her heart sunk lower.

Alice swung her legs off the bed, wincing in the cold air that existed outside of her blanket. Trying to stretch out her arms, she stiffly walked over to her small work desk. Sitting on it, folded neatly on top of her laptop, was a familiar cream-colored sweatshirt. Her hand fell to it, her thumb rubbing against the fabric.

Despite the tight fold, Alice could still see the creases left in the material from where Lex had been gripping to it.

Her phone had rang at 9:12 last night. It wasn't a number she recognized, but her anxiety kept her from letting it ring through like she normally did. Alice could still hear Tim's quiet voice, the worry in Hannah's as they tried to explain what had happened. In the background they could all hear Tom arguing with Duke. Trying to figure out what next steps would even look like. Trying to figure out where Lex had run off to.

The kids had called her on Becky's phone, hopeful Lex would show up over there. Alice didn't have the heart to tell them she already knew Lex wouldn't. Becky hadn't either, but she sat in the room with them anyways. Almost the entire small family on the other side of Hatchetfield had turned to her for help finding their missing piece.

Alice's hand slipped from the sweatshirt, moving to unplug her phone from its charger. Briefly, she watched it's screen wake up, hoping to see a message, anything telling her just where Lex had gone this time. Her lockscreen stared back at her, a picture of her and her dad at some stupid amusement park they had gone to last year.

It was her dad's idea to change it. Something small to start moving on. With a soft smile, Alice clicked into the group chat she had turned to last night. Scrolling past the several messages sent throughout the hours spent searching, she typed out a new alert.

A – Eyes out for Lex today. Didn't stick around this morning.

There was a brief pause before 3 dots appeared at the bottom of the screen. Alice watched them bounce impatiently, before a new message appeared underneath her own.

Z – Fuck.

A small chuckle escaped her chest as Alice realized how tight it had felt. Her phone buzzed several more times, each message receiving its own notification.

D – I'm pretty much at school now. Guess I'll ask Chasity about it.
D – Since for whatever reason her Steph and Lex are all buddies
D – See if either of them decide to show up today.

Alice stared at the messages. Deb shared her zero-hour class with Grace, something they had both hated for the longest time. Nothing was worse than starting out each day with a lecture on Physics and Christianity. Now however, Alice was almost grateful for it.

She wanted to be comforted by the fact that they both seemed to be taking this seriously, but still her heart beat slow and heavy in her chest. She remembered the hollow look in Lex's eyes, the way she had been almost completely unresponsive, sitting on her bed, staring at the wall.

It was Hannah who had told her what the fight had been about, when she had called them back an hour and a half later. When they had finally gotten Lex to stop shivering.

A small buzz in her hand let her know another message had come through. Blinking away the burning in her eyes, Alice checked it.

D – Grace isn't here.
D – Again

Her thoughts were sluggish and yet they still ricocheted through the empty space of her mind. Several of the worries she had been carrying from the day before came back, adding to the chaos quickly replacing the grogginess of sleep. Lex had told her that Grace had found the book. That would've been the night she left for the woods. That next morning, Grace was still at school. That evening her, Steph and Lex all have a small meeting in the gym and suddenly nobody hears from any of them the next day. It was enough to get Alice to track down Lex at the diner. To try and pry some answers from her. Even if she wasn't ready to tell the full story.

Or apologize.

Sliding her phone into her pocket, Alice held the hand Lex had held yesterday, a lump growing in her throat. She remembered Lex's eyes, the way she stared at her. The way they had changed, the way they had flashed in fear.

For a moment, when she stared at Alice, Lex had looked terrified.

Then that fear was gone, strangled back behind the familiar faraway look she had carried back in the safe house. The long days following Black Friday where it seemed like something terrible was haunting her, something darker than anything she had admitted to Alice. To anyone.

Downstairs her father's voice grew just a little louder. The song he was singing picking up in tempo as he got into the chorus. Feeling her eyes burn, the lump in her throat grow even heavier, Alice moved numbly out of her room. The warmth in her hands left as she remembered just how cold Lex had felt, like there hadn't been any blood pumping through her body for hours.

Lex had always seemed like a pinnacle of strength, bouncing back from everything out of pure spite. Even before Alice really got to know her she had always admired that strength from a distance. That drive that somehow seemed to always keep her moving. Through bad grades, lectures, slamming doors. Alice had seen the cracks in it before, passing by Ethan holding her in the hallways, her face tucked away. The way she would linger out in the town, away from home even as the night fell.

The hollow look in her eyes as she sat on her bed, almost entirely unresponsive was something even more terrifying then the 3 hours Alice thought there was a chance she was just... gone.

Her dad's singing had grown louder as Alice realized she had made her way down the steps, standing stiff in the doorway of the kitchen. Bill looked up from his pan, dropping it with a sharp clatter as his eyes widened and his note was cut short.

"Alice, honey? What's wro-"

Bill never finished his thought. Alice's body moved faster than she realized. Suddenly she had her arms wrapped around his back, burying her face into his chest the way she used to when she was younger. Back when her anxiety felt like a dread she could never overcome, the only relief being her dad's strong arms, holding her tight.

The same ones that scooped her up without question, pulling her tighter against his body.

Tears burned in her eyes as the fear and anxiety from the last night finally caught up to her, the chase ending as it all crashed down onto her shoulders in a way that made her entire body ache.

"She left already, didn't she?" His voice was a quiet whisper, a question answered by her own stiff nod.

Breakfast was burnt. It didn't matter. Bill treated her to an old tradition. They ordered pancakes, eating them together on the couch under blankets as classic cartoons played on the tv. They didn't talk about anything, despite both their minds racing with their own thoughts. It was familiar. It was comforting.

It was a small relief from worrying about one stubborn asshole for at least a few minutes.

***

With local nerdy prude Grace Chasity being absent for the second day in a row, the entire school was abuzz with gossip. Alice did her best to tune it out, but it was impossible to ignore as every classroom filled with whispers and rumors.

"Can't be sick. Remember the time she came in with like a 100 degree fever, absolutely refusing to go to the nurse because she had a test later?"

"There's no way Steph has the patience to hang out with her this long. What do they even have in common anyways?"

Gossip normally didn't get to her. It was something she was usually able to tune out. Alice knew she didn't quite fall into the boxes most of the school did. Due to her relationship with Deb, most everyone just lumped her in with the Smoke Club. It kept her from the attention and drama of the popular kids, away from the bullying of the nerds.

"No. No. I swear it was her. Same jacket she always fucking wears. Because she can't afford anything else." A voice burrowed its way into her head as Alice scowled, trying to focus on her notes. "She was walking right by Grace the entire time. They cornered Steph in the gym and then suddenly they're all leaving in a group and nobody hears from any of them again."

Most teachers stopped caring around the holiday breaks. Reading off the power points they had prepared months earlier, letting the students in their class talk almost freely. More than ever before it really felt like they had just accepted the school's focus was elsewhere.

"I heard she didn’t even go home. Like at all. Called her parents to tell them she was staying the night somewhere. I think she finally snapped."

"Betcha it has something to do with Lex. Damn, I wonder if she finally got Chasity to do some weed or something. Probably broke something in her brain. All that repressed Christian shit just made her snap."

"Please, I bet she just went on a sabbatical or whatever. Isn't that what religious people do from time to time?"

Halfway through her second period, the rumors finally cut out as Alice's phone buzzed. She checked it under the table, the classroom finally falling quiet as she stared at the email she had received. Her heart caught in her throat as she quickly clicked into it. Her eyes scanned through the message quickly, it wasn't anything life changing, Alice wouldn't have been surprised it was auto-generated. The wording was stiff and formal.

But it was still from the Starlight. Her submission had been accepted. It was under review.

Her heart raced in her chest, a smile unable to stop itself from spreading on her face. It had been Bill's idea to submit her play. Since the night the Foster sister's had stayed over he had been better. They talked again, really talked. The way they used to when Alice was younger. Back before the divorce. He had asked her about her play, listening as she explained the way she had originally written it. That she had made sure to include all the tragedy that she knew everyone expected. Made sure to keep the story beats consistent with what everyone expected. Then he listened as she admitted how it had strayed from the story she actually wanted to tell. The one that ended happily. The suggestions Lex had that helped change the story to be one that she felt proud of again.

At his urging, she had spent the last couple of nights rewriting it, finishing it only a couple of nights. While she had waited for Lex to recover, Alice finished the very last edits and sent it off to the Starlight. They had a form for new submissions, one she had read through before. On the days she wanted to feel like her dream was a little more achievable then it felt most days. It was easy to fill out, easy to attach the newest draft. It was too late in the season to see it run this year, but there was still a chance they hadn't found something for their spring production.

A laugh caught in her throat as she imagined Lex's thoughts on returning to that building. The very stage that had been hiding a body for years. If they did accept her play, Lex wouldn't have a choice but to be involved.

After all, after last night, she owed her.

The murmurs of her classmates still floated past her ears, but they didn't bury into her thoughts the way they had before. She continued to browse her phone, her notes forgotten as her body still buzzed with anticipation she knew wouldn't go anywhere.

Clicking into the rest of her emails, she did her normal scan for the status of her scholarship. They hadn't ever confirmed receiving her submission, her application still showing the same pending status it had reflected the last several months.

Her counselor had advised her to spread out her choices, that aiming for just one school all the way in New York might only lead to disappointment. Back then, Alice couldn't have imagined having any other choice. She was determined to leave, no matter what. She would get to New York and chase her dream, scholarship or not.

Sliding her phone back into her pocket as she stared at the powerpoint still running nearly on autopilot, Alice's hand drummed absentmindedly on her desk.

Maybe it was time to start looking into other options.

It was lunch when Alice was finally approached about what she might know.

She was sitting in her normal spot, scrolling her phone in the corner as Ziggy quietly doodled something in their notebook. Two cheerleaders broke off from their normal pack of peers as they headed past the nerds, past the drama students. Straight to their corner. Alice set her phone down, watching warily as they approached, trying to figure out just what was going on.

Brenda and Stacy were a grade or two below her if she remembered correctly. They stood awkwardly at the edge of their table as Ziggy finally looked up, pulling an earbud out of their ear as they tilted their head.

"So... like, I heard you've been hanging out with Lex lately? One of the nerds mentioned you and her were like hanging out in the library with Grace the other day." Stacy quickly explained, seemingly looking everywhere but at the two in front of her. She only seemed to relax as Brenda put a supportive hand on her shoulder. "We were wondering if maybe you know where the hell Steph has been?"

Alice could only stare at them blankly. Stephanie Lauter wasn't the best student. She cut about as frequently as Deb did, scrolled on her phone during class. It normally wouldn't have been noticeable that she was gone. However, that was before Lex had completely shaken up the social eco-system with whatever her and Grace had done.

They were still waiting for an answer as Alice found herself frozen from her own thoughts. They were mirrored from the night before. When Tim and Hannah had first called her.

At some point, the town had just started to associate her with Lex.

At some point, Alice had found herself at ease with that thought.

"Now," Ziggy came to her rescue as they set their pencil aside and stared the two down. "Why would Alice know where little Lauter is just cause she's buddies with Lex?"

Behind their visitors, Alice spied Deb quickly making her way back over to them.

Stacy's eyes went wide, and for a moment she seemed genuinely apologetic. Brenda shook her head.

"We're just worried about our girl. Not like, Lex is bad news or whatever. Steph had a crush on her for the longest time. But her being gone 2 days in a row, without tweeting about it? That's weird."

"Really weird." Stacy agreed quickly, her face solemn.

"What's going on?" Deb asked sharply, startling both girls as they whipped around to face the newcomer.

A small smirk grew on Ziggy's face, knowing exactly where this was headed. Deb could never stand the popular kids. She had always been protective of Alice, ever since she had come out back in 8th grade and a couple of girls in their class wouldn't stop giggling about it.

Watching her ex glare at the two younger girls just looking for answers, Alice grimaced. This was going south, fast.

"I uh, I'm sorry. I don't know where she's been." She answered quietly, drawing all attention back to her almost immediately.

With a frown, Deb slid into the chair next to Ziggy, her eyes looking over to check on her as the two cheerleaders looked between each other. Alice couldn't help but notice they looked more lost than they had before. Their normal table sat scattered across the cafeteria.

"Did you uh, want to sit with us?" Alice offered, watching in surprise as they immediately pulled up two chairs and joined them.

As with most topics that swept through the entire school, Grace's second absence was quickly forgotten, replaced with excitement for the upcoming holiday break. Alice listened patiently as Deb and Ziggy made plans to catch up on some of the shows they had missed while everyone had waited for power to come back to Hatchetfield. It had taken an entire week for service to return to their area and in that time apparently plenty of reality stars had been jailed due to their involvement of the riots that swept across the country.

Alice learned a bit more about Brenda and Stacy, finding out they were currently looking forward to Sycamore's production of The Nutcracker that they would be running over the break. The school had apparently decided to extend the dates of their performances due to the riots and tragedy that had infected Hatchetfield during the time they were supposed to be running it. It was Ziggy who suggested that they take Alice along, both her and Deb surprised when both girls seemed to light up at the idea of having more people along.

It felt as strange as it was sweet. A clash of different lives, brought together by someone who had left an entire year ago. Alice tried to imagine what Lex's reaction would be to finding out she was responsible for this. Thought about seeing if Brenda and Stacy would mind if they brought 2 more people along.

Hannah was pretty excited at the idea of going to see a play after all.

Her hand drummed on the table as the conversation around her fell quiet. While she was grateful for it, Alice hadn't been asked yet what her plans were for the break. In truth, she had no idea what it would look like this year. In the past she had always been dragged off to her mother's side of the family and their large house in Clivesdale. Even before her parents split, Alice always dreaded it. Her mom had always made a point of showing her off to the rest of her family. Straight A's. Consistent church-goer.

They never talked about her relationship.

Never talked about her dreams or her writing.

Her dad had always thought of Christmas as a family event. That it was important to spend time with your loved ones. It's why he didn't stop those annual visits when the divorce happened. Alice didn't ask about her mom. Not since she had decided to stay in Hatchetfield after the riots. She assumed Bill had talked it over with her at some point. It was something she had meant to talk to Duke about, when they weren't so focused on stopping the magic and monsters that had almost stopped the world back on Black Friday.

Whatever the case was, Alice didn't mind the idea of getting to stay home this Christmas. She had always hated Clivesdale anyways.

The people she loved weren't there.

Her heart thudded in her chest as she thought about what Lex's plans would be. If they had changed since everything that had happened with Tom-

The bell rang as Alice felt a hand on her back. Deb was looking down at her worriedly. Both Brenda and Stacy hopped up with a smile and a wave, taking off to join the rest of the students as they returned to class. The excitement of the break had faded. Grace was still missing. Steph was still missing.

And the only one who had heard from Lex was Alice.

***

It was cold outside. The wind didn't bite near as much as it had yesterday but the air was still freezing. Alice pressed herself into the wall as she pulled her coat closer, watching the smoke rise from the joint Deb and Ziggy had split. She normally didn't join them on their smoke break, but she also didn't know if she could stand to hear anything more about how Lex, Steph and Grace were all probably rotting in prison somewhere.

When the text had come through the group chat to dip from class, Alice had answered it.

Trying to chase down a thought that wasn't just echoing her own growing anxiety, Alice spoke the first question that came to mind.

"How's the stereo coming along?"

"If we can find Lex, then it's done." Ziggy shrugged. "Be nice to clear out that space again. That thing takes up my entire desk."

Deb laughed, coughing just slightly as she took another hit.

"So do all your notebooks." She pointed out, laughing again as Ziggy gently batted at her with the back of their hand.

"How much do I owe you for parts?" Alice asked curiously, having already expected that replacement pieces for something that ancient wouldn't be cheap.

Ziggy waved their hand flippantly.

"Don't worry about it. Roped Tom into looking at it with me during shop the other day. We figured out all the pieces were pretty much in there. Just knocked loose. Took care of that in exchange for some extra credit." They explained, staring up at the sky with a loose smile. "Only real problem was the casing, but I was told explicitly not to replace that."

"So what, I owe you for some superglue?" Alice laughed, her smile finally feeling a bit more genuine.

"You don't owe me for shit. Just get her to pick it up eventually." Ziggy countered.

"Apparently we got to find her first." Deb pointed out, blowing the smoke she had inhaled up and away from Alice. She passed the blunt back to Ziggy as they pulled away from the wall and stared at her.

"Speaking of that, what even happened last night?" They asked quickly. "I thought Tom was one of the few people Lex actually liked."

"He is." Alice said quietly. "But that didn’t stop him from attacking Hannah in the mall."

"He what?!" Deb coughed, choking on the smoke still caught in her mouth. She stared at Alice, waiting for an explanation that she didn't have.

"I don't know. It was the first time I heard about it too. Hannah didn't really explain, and Lex snapped at me before I even got a chance to ask."

"So you save her ass from freezing to death and she's still a dick?"

"Pretty much." Alice sighed, feeling her heart clench.

It may have been the truth, but it wasn't the full truth. There was more to the story then what Deb saw, what she knew. From what even Alice had been able to piece together. It wouldn't have mattered to Deb though. The anger at Lex came from whatever part still cared about Alice. Regardless of if they were still together or not.

"I don't get it." Ziggy said plainly. "So Lex gets upset that Tom went after her sister. Can't trust him anymore so she runs away but doesn't take Hannah with her?"

"Wiggly made people crazy. Maybe it finally got to her too?" Deb joked before wincing at Alice's sharp glare.

"Lex still trusts him." She said, not knowing why she was so firm on it. Trying to clear her thoughts, she shook her head. "She doesn't talk about what happened in the mall. Nobody does. I don't even think she was near Hannah most of the night. Or Tom. At some point someone tried to kill her and yet every time I bring it up she get some haunted look in her eyes."

"Trauma is some serious shit. It will fuck you up." Ziggy pointed out to no one in particular.

Alice stared at the ground in front of her. It made sense, that after losing Ethan, after being attacked, fearing for her sister's life, Lex stood to be plenty traumatized.

It was obvious in the way she sobbed in Alice's arms following the first night she spent over at Becky's. In the way Lex consistently woke up throughout the nights in the safehouse, immediately looking for her sister, only relaxing when she saw Hannah still safe. It was in the way she had grown smaller after they had all returned 'home'. The bags under her eyes growing darker.

Still, the look in her eyes was something different. Darker. Like something more than the emotions she tried to ignore was haunting her. Like she was afraid she was just as guilty for the mark around her neck as Sherman had been.

"I don't think she actually holds anything that happened that night against anyone." Alice admitted, her mouth dry. Her body felt cold as she realized there was a reason she hadn't been surprised when she woke up and knew that Lex was gone. "Not when she can hold it against herself instead."

Deb was watching her carefully, Alice could feel her eyes, could feel them studying her. Her arms crossed tighter across her body as Ziggy sighed. Putting out the joint on the wall, they slid it back into a bag, tucking it away as they started to head inside.

Alice moved to join them, only barely catching the small huff of laughter that came from Deb. The way her whisper was nearly taken away in the wind.

"Sounds like someone else I know..."

***

The gossip that had been flying around all day finally seemed to slow as they went back in for the final class of the day. Excitement was building the same way it had during lunch. Winter break was coming and with it the ending of another year. A close on the most recent chapter that had taken so much from so many people. The funerals had only stopped about a week ago. Those who had been affected were still being released by the day, their memories intact, the mania having been cleared.

Everyone was getting ready to put Wiggly behind them.

According to Hatchetfield High, everyone was ready to return to filling the cold days with time spent inside and together. Rumors of holiday parties, deals whispered to make them 'more fun'. It was all a welcome change from the negativity that had surrounded the morning.

As her eyes lulled from the late night and the droning of her History teacher, Alice's phone buzzed in her pocket. She checked it lazily, knowing that even on a normal day that Mr. Edwin wouldn't care-

The email she had received this time wasn't an automated response. Alice recognized the name immediately, the woman she knew was in charge of coordinating shows at the Starlight.

The bell rang as she clicked into it, her eyes scanning the contents within, her body buzzing with excitement and dread. Students around her rushed out the door as she moved clumsily among the masses eager to leave the long day behind. The email itself didn't contain any news, good or bad. It was a few quoted lines and summaries pulled straight from the script with questions about her thoughts and reasoning behind the scenes they came from.

They were questions that only someone who had actually read it, actually thought about it, would even think to ask. Questions that suggested she may have been actually considering it.

A smile pulled on the corner of her lips as waited at her locker to walk out with Deb and Ziggy. She had already thought through several of her answers but her plans for after school had changed. There was still someone who owed her some thoughts.

After all, several of the scenes the lady had questions about had been the ones that her and Lex had worked on together.

Brenda and Stacy caught her first, chatting eagerly next to her as they waited together. Deb and Ziggy arrived last as they all milled out into the fresh air together. Outside they broke off into their more familiar pairs, the cheerleaders waving eagerly goodbye as Ziggy shook their head at the absurdity. Deb threw an arm around Alice's shoulder, begging her to join them in their plans to get a headstart on some new reality tv show. Claiming it had been weeks since they last had hung out together.

Alice did her best to keep the peace, not seeing any benefit in telling Deb the truth now. That she had never really liked the trash they watched, only really using the night as an excuse to spend time with her girlfriend. Back when they were still together.

As Deb eventually relented, thanks in no small part to some gentle encouragement from Ziggy, they waved Alice goodbye, leaving her to walk alone to the car that Bill had let her borrow once again.

After checking the email one last time to make sure she hadn't missed anything, she slid the phone back into her pocket and pulled out her keys. As she turned back to the parking lot, Alice came face to face with someone completely unexpected.

"Hannah?!"

The youngest Foster looked worse than Alice could ever remember seeing her. Even beat up from the events in the mall, or shaken from being teleported across town, Hannah had never looked this scared.

"She wasn't there."

The drone of her classmates faded as Alice stared at Hannah. Her eyes fell to the coat she was wearing, knowing it wasn't Lex's jacket. Knowing that last night Lex had been sure to leave it behind with her sister. It was their own unspoken agreement. A promise that she would be back. It was the only comfort Hannah could offer them both when nobody could find her.

Hannah wasn't wearing Lex's jacket.

"What about Tim?" She managed to ask past the growing knot in her throat.

"He had something after school." Hannah explained, before she bit at her lip, her hand clenching at her arm. "Something's wrong. She wasn't right this morning, when she came home. Like something else..."

The young girl shook her head as her eyes clenched tightly shut, a shudder running through her body. Alice immediately grabbed for her hands, gently holding them out as Hannah's arms tensed. After a moment, she came back, her breathing shaky.

It almost matched Alice's own.

"We need to talk to Miss Holloway."

***

It felt familiar. The quiet, white knuckled drive to the diner. Alice didn't speak and Hannah understood the fear she had. Even knowing she didn't see what she had, the ending the day nearly promised to bring. Lex had told her that morning that the diner would be closed for the day, and that was reflected in the way the OPEN sign was still dark.

Alice looked over to her worriedly, but Hannah simply pointed to the old car still parked out front.

Hannah was the first out of the car, throwing open the door and hurrying up the ramp. Whatever help they could find here, time was running out. It pulled like a thread inside of her, growing more and more taunt. Already it felt like it could snap at any moment. That she could lose-

She pushed past her nerves, past the fear racing through her body like electricity, only pausing once she encountered the door. Her eyes fell to the handle, knowing something was off. Before she could figure out what it was, why it was important, Alice came up behind her, raising her hand up to knock.

The door creaked open the moment her knuckles reached the wood.

The inside of Miss Retro's was dark, the jukebox that normally welcomed people inside was completely silent. After exchanging a worried look with Alice, Hannah pushed inside hearing the bell above the door call out to alert whoever was inside know they had visitors.

Alice gently shut the door behind them, staying close as both of them lingered by the exit.

It didn't take long for Holloway to find them there, her shoulders sagged as she emerged from the kitchen. Hannah missed the next part of her expression, her vision swimming as she fought to remain present. Another thread, another possibility, another memory, it all fought to be seen. All triggered by the woman in front of her. The same one who seemed to catch it, studying Hannah carefully before summoning up a stiff smile.

"Well then." She spoke up, moving to the counter as she folded her arms on it. "Here I am about to go explore those very woods that have Lex so freaked out and who should come walking in but the two people I can't imagine she wants anywhere near them." There was a light chuckle, but Hannah could feel the witch's hesitance. She knew there was something more to this visit.

"What can I do for you girls?"

"Lex didn't come to pick up Hannah after school." Alice explained, her voice quiet.

The answer didn't require anything further. Everyone gathered knew exactly what that meant. Hannah felt her eyes burn, fighting back the tears that were ready to fall. The smile that was already stiff on Holloway's face fell away completely. As it did, Hannah rocked on her feet, the visions behind her eyes swarmed and rushed forward, violently eager to be seen, to be known. She closed her eyes, clenched them tightly shut as she grabbed at her arms. There were too many today. Too many possibilities. She wouldn't find the right one in time.

"Hannah?" Alice's voice cracked, as her hands fell to her shoulders to steady her.

It stopped the sea in her mind, if only for a moment. Alice's hands were trembling, the fear more than present. Still her hold was tight. Like her sisters. Like Ethan's.

Hannah peeled her eyes open, taking a shaky breath as she searched for Holloway's own. They were filled with a familiar knowledge. The same knowledge that Lex carried when she would talk with her about Webby, or her visions. A familiarity with the world that was missing from everyone else's. Holloway knew the way things were, even if she was unaware of the circumstances happening at that very moment.

It was knowledge she needed to help them.

"Webby's gone." Hannah admitted, watching as Holloway's eyes widened, her mouth opening, just slightly. "She's been missing. Shortly after Black Friday, when Cross disappeared. She was worried something may have been coming after Lex-"

Her voice trailed off, her actual sight failing once more as all the visions in her mind converged. Her head pounded as her throat tightened. The truth more horrifying than it had been in the fractured pieces Hannah had seen earlier. Alice's arms tightened around her, but their warmth barely was able to ease the fear.

For a moment, Hannah saw every single possibility end the same way.

"They want a new vessel..."

Immediately Holloway stood up, her body pulled tight. She moved around to the front of the counter, crossing her arms as her eyes darted to the windows.

"Do either of you have an idea of where Lex is now?" She asked quickly.

Hannah looked up to Alice, her arms still wrapped around her protectively.

"I haven't seen her since last night. She took off before I woke up this morning." Alice answered, biting at her lip as she stared down at Hannah. "And I'm guessing she made it home in time to grab you for school?"

Hannah nodded, finding herself grateful for a question she could answer with certainty. Holloway rubbed her face, wondering out loud if she needed to get ahold of Duke. Alice gently slid one arm off of Hannah's shoulders, reaching for her phone as she mentioned trying to call Tom first.

Looking out the window, Hannah saw the sun just starting the fall from its peak in the sky. She knew with a sickening certainty that it was now only a matter of time. Time her sister didn't have. Tom and Duke wouldn't know. They'd expand their search, but it wouldn't matter. Without knowing where she was, where they wanted her, nobody would find Lex in time.

Reaching up to grab Alice's hand still on her shoulder, grounding herself to this moment, Hannah closed her eyes. She thought back through what she knew. What was certain. What had happened. This morning Lex hadn't been doing well. The bags under her eyes were worse than ever, her body shook in exhaustion. She was still cold from the walk home. She hadn't wanted to go inside, so Hannah met her out front. It was early, and Tom and Becky's alarms had yet to go off. They slipped away before most of the town had even woken up.

Last year Lex had a fight with the principle at Hatchetfield Middle School. In her words, it was bullshit that they couldn't take kids earlier than 7 am. A frustration that had only grown worse as Frank kept scheduling her for more and more 6 am shifts. It resulted in a quiet exception, the school would keep the backdoors unlocked to the library so that Hannah could safely wait inside with the teachers and staff that arrived early.

It had been several months since they last had to use that exception. With Ethan entering the picture more and more, Lex had finally found someone she could trust. Someone they both trusted. Today, with no shift at the diner and no desire to go home, Lex entered the library to wait with her. It wasn't unusual for days they both had to leave the trailer early to avoid their mother. This time was different however, because this time it wasn't just the two sisters waiting.

Sophia had been crying, though she quickly wiped any evidence away the moment she saw the back doors open. Lex had checked with Hannah, both of them feeling the familiarity. They sat next to her as they tried to make small talk. Sophia was curious about Lex. Was curious about their situation. Nobody in the small library was any stranger to money issues, the fights that often would break out from the stress. Lex talked with her like she did Hannah. Honest, but gentle. Their conversation seemed to bring her alive, to bring her back. For just a moment.

As the first bell rang for class, that same dark look came back to her eyes.

Like something that wasn't her sister had stepped forward.

Lex had shaken it off, giving her a small hug and Sophia a wave before she disappeared back into the grey morning.

Tears burned in Hannah's eyes, her throat painful. That couldn't be the last time she saw her sister. Her hand tightened around Alice's hand as she started to sift through the threads of possibility. To peel back the layers. The current fought her every step of the way, the visions she saw weren't clear enough to get an idea of where she was. The only thing she could see was-

"The web." Hannah announced, her eyes opening as she thankfully found herself back in the diner. All eyes on her. "She wants her trapped."

"Alright. So we're looking anywhere in the miles wide woods?" Holloway grimaced.

"Wait, what about the gallows?" Alice whispered, as the hand holding her phone dropped to her side. Hannah could see Tom's number left undialed. She looked between Holloway and Hannah quickly. "That night, Lex said she thought we were being led there by something."

"Do you remember where that was?" Holloway asked, seeming to stand up straighter as they finally found a thread they could follow.

Alice nodded, a small hopeful smile managing to break through onto her face. With a cold shiver, Hannah realized it wasn't a comfort she could share. There was something else. Something else had to explain the way everything ended the same. Not just here, but elsewhere. Everywhere.

"Let me grab the book, if something is stringing her along then I'm not too eager to see what damage those powers of hers might end up doing."

Hannah barely heard her, barely registered as Holloway ducked back into the back of the building. Her attention was instead drawn back to the door. Sliding out of Alice's hold, she walked over to it, pulling it open without a word. Standing on the other side, hand held up as if reaching for the handle that was no longer there, stood Stephanie Lauter.

"Ok…?" Steph drawled, looking down at her hand as she swallowed. "So it's um, Hannah right?"

Alice came up behind her and their unexpected guest immediately looked a little more relieved.

"And Alice. Both of you are here. Good. That means Lex has got to be around somewhere, right?"

"Now that is a really good question, isn't it?" Holloway asked, coming back through the door on the other side of the diner. Her hands were empty.

Hannah moved out of the doorway to let Steph fully step inside. They all faced Holloway as she studied the new arrival.

"You're the mayor's kid, aren't you? The one Grace was concerned about." Holloway asked, her tone even. Hannah could recognize the glint of suspicion in her eyes.

Something had her on edge, more so than she had been before.

"Uh, yeah actually. That's sort of why I'm here." Steph shrugged uncomfortably. After a moment, she shook her head. "For whatever reason Grace seems to like, really trust Lex. So I was kinda hoping maybe they could explain where the hell she's been."

Fighting back a wave of nausea, the entire diner shifted in front of her. The rush of possibilities came back like a flood, as Hannah grabbed towards a nearby chair, fighting through it. She turned to Holloway as Alice worriedly took a step closer to her.

"The book's missing."

Holloway's stiff smile was the only answer they needed.

"What?! What do you mean the big evil spellbook we've been trying to find this whole time is just missing?!" Alice cried, her voice shaky and frustrated. "Didn't you have it locked up?"

"Damn it, Chasity." Steph cursed under her breath. After making a face, she looked up to find the entire diner's eyes on her. Seeing their suspicion, she quickly held her hands up. "Look, whatever she's planning on doing with it, I'm sure she only wants to help. That's all she ever wants to do-"

"Help, is not bringing the Lords in Black right to our doorsteps." Holloway sighed, exasperated.

"Ok. Ok so we don't have the book and something is going after Lex. This is great. Real great." Alice's voice cracked as she bit her lip. Her arms crossed tightly across her body.

It was a fear Hannah was more than familiar with. It was the same panic she felt building in her own chest. Ignoring the crushing feeling of dread growing stronger by the second, she tried to connect whatever pieces they were still missing.

They had to be missing something.

Lex had always trusted Grace, even when Webby didn't. If they were both missing there had to be a reason. A connection.

"Just what did you mean by help?" Holloway asked Steph, her eyes narrowing as the girl raised a hand to her neck.

Her fingers tangled into a golden chain, the locket on the other end still tucked away under her shirt. Hannah already knew of the picture inside, why Steph would reach for it.

"I don't know!" Steph shot back, the tension in the room rising as nobody was able to provide any answers. Her eyes grew watery as she took a deep breath. "I thought she'd spend the night again. It was my idea to skip. Just take a day or whatever and pretend like maybe it didn’t all happen. I was just surprised when she seemed ok with it? Pretty sure we would've done the same thing last night too but we had some weird dude come visit the house weirdly late. He's been bothering my dad for the last couple of days now. Grace left shortly after he did, saying something about getting us both answers-"

"He was wearing denim. All denim." Hannah filled in the information that had been missing as both Alice and Steph stared down at her. She ignored them, facing Holloway. "It's Cross."

With that last connecting thread, Hannah put together the pieces nobody else could. She saw them fall into place in front of her eyes, the sequence of events that led to the trap that had been laid out for the day. Her vision blurred as suddenly she was no longer in the diner.

Hannah was outside. Standing on a road along the trees of the witchwoods. There weren't many houses out this far. It was dark. Almost too dark to see the events unfolding in front of her. Hannah recognized Grace Chasity as she approached the man walking stiffly away from her. Her bike slowed as she called out to him warily. She already knew to stay away, Lex had warned her.

But Lex hadn't given her any answers. And Grace wouldn't risk any more lives.

She wouldn't need to break the news to Steph, to break the trust that had built between them. Not if she could just take care of the problem herself…

Hannah watched as the man turned around, irritated. The vision shifted, fracturing in front of her eyes, blurring into several echoes that made her head pound. She lost the thread she had been clutching to, losing herself to the splintering possibilities. She saw a hundred outcomes of what might have been flash before her eyes.

A version of Grace that ran the moment she saw the man's face, throwing her bike to the ground as she bolted-

A flash of blood, the haunting vision of the aftermath of an attack. The girl falling to the ground, blood staining her blue sweater, her eyes glassy-

For a moment, it wasn't Grace who approached him. For a moment she was replaced by a different person. A man in a uniform, a golden badge on his chest. The resemblance to Duke was haunting. He approached Cross, hand on his hip, ready to fire-

Hannah concentrated, something here was meant to tell her something. She bit her lip, closing her eyes and calling on the memories of her sister's grounding touch. The way she would take her hands, holding them tight but never painfully. Opening her eyes again, Hannah saw the scene as it happened.

Cross turned around at Grace's call, taking in the appearance of the girl in front of him as she set a foot down to brace against her bike, stopping with a yard left between them.

His face changed, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Hannah recognized it as the same predatory grin he had used on Lex. On Linda.

In the dim light of the streetlamp above them, Grace missed the way his eyes flashed in a glowing green.

There were several eyes on her, Hannah could feel them. Could feel them back in the diner, waiting for her. Worried for her. With a deep breath, she brought herself back to them, tearing away from the memory. Instead of answering the question in all of their eyes, Hannah turned to stare at the front door. Saw the truth that was in front of them the entire time.

The lock on the door had been broken, the wood splintered around the handle. The damage had been caused the night before. When Lex had slammed it shut behind her.

It would've been all too easy to come back, when no one was around.

The book wasn't meant to help, not like the man had promised. He had simply provided the answer Grace had been seeking. His own plans growing much simpler as he found himself a new victim. A new puppet.

Once Grace got her hands on the book, his own masters would take it from there.

Hannah became aware of the air in the room like it was the surface of water, waiting for a ripple. Waiting for something to break. All the pieces held together so loosely, like they hadn't meant to converge at all.

All the pieces her sister had pulled together.

They all waited for her to explain what she had seen. What they couldn't see. Just why so many possibilities existed today. Just why they all seemed to end the same way, regardless of the outcome.

Hannah saw the split clearly for the first time all day.

Without Webby to interfere, Willabella had plenty of time to slowly start creeping back to the world. Pushing against the fading threads of her prison. Connecting to the very blood that had once flowed through her own veins.

With Cross's hooks in someone new, someone as malleable as Grace Chasity, it would keep Holloway from interfering. It would keep the book from being locked away again, letting it continue the dark mission it had been written for. Furthering the evil it had been created with.

The visions in her mind finally quieted. The puzzle having been completely assembled in front of her. It painted a horrifying picture, one that had a knot grow in her throat. Despite the crushing pressure in her chest, Hannah forced herself to speak past it.

 

"Either Lex or Grace. The witch comes back, or gets born anew."

 

Nobody spoke. Hannah wondered if they had heard her. If she had actually been able to bring herself to air out loud the truth. She wondered if they believed her, or if they would assume she was crazy. The way others had in the past.

Alice trembled. Holloway blinked in a hollow acceptance. Hannah watched her carefully and for a moment, she could see the many, many long years on her face.

"What the hell do you mean, 'witch'?" Steph asked, shaking her head wildly as she looked around to everyone gather, searching for an answer. "What does any of this have to do with Grace?"

"You mean Willabella. The one who killed those kids. Why… why would she want Lex?" Alice asked quietly in the silence that followed Steph's own question.

"You two share a mother. Different fathers. It's in your blood…" Holloway stared at her as Hannah recognized the answer the woman had found. After a moment, she let out a loose laugh, one with no real mirth behind it. "I suppose it's important to know that it only takes about 13 years for me to get this rusty."

"What are you talking about?! What are any of you talking about?" Steph cried, stepping forward and demanding the attention back.

Taking a deep breath, the unnatural years vanished from Holloway's face as she straightened. A plan formed behind her eyes.

"Ok, so to make sure that doesn't happen we'll need to split up-"

"No!" Hannah cried, her head shaking as tears burned in her eyes. "No, Lex needs your help!"

Holloway turned to her with a small, pitiful smile. Hannah saw the resignation in her eyes. The assumption she made. She would be going after the book, and Lex wasn't the one who had it. Her nails dug into her arm as she realized everyone had always just assumed Lex would be fine without them. Without help.

Realizing that today, she had too.

It was part of the reason Hannah stood to lose her sister altogether.

Seeing Miss Holloway not yielding, Hannah looked up at Alice. She saw her same worry reflected in the older girl's eyes. They couldn't do this alone.

"What she'll really need," Holloway started gently, calling their attention back. "Is a familiar face. And lucky for her, she'll get two."

Hannah merely shook her head, her body cold as Alice moved closer to her. The whole point of finding her, the whole reason Lex had lost sleep, had injured her hand, it was all to find this woman. To help them.

"The witch can't leave yet, right? That's going to be up to Lex decide. The web can hold or it can break. Just depends on how stubborn Lex is feeling today. And you can be sure Willabella will be throwing everything she can to make sure that decision goes her way." Holloway explained warily, the exhaustion coming back eagerly. She turned to Steph, her eyes steely. "Grace, on the other hand, is going to need someone to tear that book from her hands before she does something cosmically stupid in the name of 'help."

"First thing you've said all day that I can understand and of course it's asking for the impossible. Forcing sense into Grace Chasity." Steph sighed with a bitter chuckle. "I should've known something was off when I saw those two together. It's weird. This whole thing is weird."

"Yeah..." Alice agreed quietly, Steph looking over to her with some amount of sympathy.

Hannah watched them, wondering what it must feel like. To have lived a normal life, to have the idea of what was supposed to be weird and what wasn't. To have that world shaken and still stick around. After a moment, Alice took a deep breath, placing a hand on her shoulder and shooting her a small, strained smile.

"You know what?" She asked, her head shaking just slightly as Hannah could see the frustrated tears in her eyes. The exhaustion from the last two days building like a wall in her shoulders. "If Lex were here, she'd send her after Grace too."

Alice stuck by her side as they all exchanged numbers, but Hannah hadn't been able to pay attention. She was gently guided back through the front door, her eyes worriedly up at the sky, feeling the timer on the day more so than ever before. They had gotten answers at a cost. It was one hour less that Lex had. She climbed into Alice's van, felt as she gunned it back towards the far side of Hatchetfield, towards the Witchwoods. Hannah's mind stayed on her sister, her stomach in knots. The visions had eased, replaced with the look in Lex's eyes last night. The eyes that loved her, every part of her. Despite the pain they were in, they always held some warmth, reserved just for her.

That warmth had been missing this morning.

Stolen.

The guilt in her chest was only barely held back by the resolve in her bones. Her eyes burning, she gripped onto her jeans tightly, bunching them in her fists. If she was meant to be cursed, to bear all these visions, then she had to be the one to see through whatever illusions awaited them. Whatever the witch would try and use to break her sister.

Her eyes fell to the Witchwood, hearing Webby's warnings in her head. Knowing the reason behind them all too late.

Taking a deep breath, Hannah remembered all the times she had seen Lex steel herself for her sake. To go in, bracing whatever blow their mother had for her, whatever shitty day awaited her at her job or at school.

Hannah always knew that she needed her sister, but as she stared at the woods racing past, listening to the gravel kick up against the van, she realized the opposite was true too. Maybe it had always been true.

That Lex needed her just as much.

Maybe more.