Everything was still. For the past year, there were no sightings of Christopher and things had returned to how they used to be: normal. The sun beat down through the glass windows of Tillbury's, casting a direct spotlight against the freshly painted wall. Sawyer set down his roller and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand before smearing it onto his jeans."Ya know I run a restaurant, right?" said Darren, reaching into his back pocket. His clothes were covered in teal paint and his temples dripped of sweat. "I have tons of these guys lyin' around." He flipped a cloth from behind his back and handed it to Sawyer.Sawyer extended his hand and took the cloth from Darren, running it across his forehead. "Well, if you got the air conditioner fixed, we wouldn't be dying from heat stroke." Darren waved his hand, dismissing Sawyer's comments. "We'll deal with that once the renovations are done. Now pick up your roller and get to workin'." Sawyer handed the cloth back to Darren,

Waverly and Sawyer raced down the hill towards town still in their evening wear following behind Katia. At the edge of the road, the smoke from Tillbury's came into view and Sawyer made a sharp turn, sprinting faster at the burning building. Darren Tillbury stood outside of the restaurant, holding his wife in his arms as she cried. The rest of the Crimson Shadows had gathered around the most well-known building in town and watched in disbelief and helplessness the flames grew larger with each passing minute. Voices chattered in the background as people arrived, whispering their thoughts to one another. Darren's free hand covered his mouth as he looked on in shock at his family shop being torn apart by the smoke and heat. "Darren!" Sawyer exclaimed as they approached the store. "What the hell happened?" "I—I dunno…" he replied in astonishment. "After ya' left…I stayed behind to do touch ups in the back room and ran out of paint, so I went tuh the store and when I came back—I—" Hi

When the light finally returned, it was morning and Waverly's eyelashes flickered open. She stretched her arms and reached to turn off the lampshade, which was still on. The papers that were sprawled on her lap the night before now sat tucked neatly on the bedside table. What happened? She didn't remember feeling tired to the point that she'd fall asleep unexpectedly—but maybe she was. Waverly stretched her arm to feel the space beside her. It was empty. She looked to see the sheets and blanket tossed to the side and blocked the orange sun that peeped in the window with her hand. She flipped the covers off her and rolled out of bed, making her way out of the room and down the hall to the entry. As she descended the stairs, the overwhelming scent of French toast and eggs filled the house. She turned the corner to see Sawyer walking in with a plate and setting it on the dining room table. Two additional plates were placed in their usual sitting locations."What's this?" Waverly aske

When Waverly fell into her dream, this time, she was in a distinct location. Surrounding her were several trees and when she looked down at her feet, she noticed she was standing in a body of water that reached her kneecaps. Waverly glimpsed to her right and saw a large rock surrounded by smaller ones in the corner of the river. The water crashed against her legs and the wind howled in a way that it resembled the sound of a wolf.She took a step back and her leg brushed against the tall grass on the outer edges of the bank, and she recognized a patch of pink cherry blossoms that appeared off-purple in the grey sky. Waverly brought her attention back towards the rocks where a silhouette now sat. It was tall, with long wavy hair, and from its torso wielded an elongated fin. Above it on a small hill stood another figure that loomed in the shadows; both were facing her directly, unmoving. "Waverly," a voice called to her. It appeared to be coming from the shape on the rocks. "Waverly…

The next day, Waverly woke to Sawyer climbing out of bed. His chiselled back was facing her, and she smiled as she stretched, remembering running her hands along it the night before. "Good morning," she said as she yawned. Sawyer turned his head to her and gave her a closed lipped smile. "Good morning." He grabbed a shirt off the floor and sniffed it before throwing it over his head and covering his torso."Where are you headed?" Waverly asked, sitting up in bed. Her hair was knotted in some places in the back of her head and her eyes were barely open, but she automatically leaned her head upwards as Sawyer came around the bed and kissed her."To see Darren. Maybe he can help me figure out exactly what he needs so we can get a better sense of things," he replied as he made his way to the master bathroom. Waverly heard the sound of running water and built the strength to clamour her way out of bed. "Did you need a hand?" she asked as she slipped out of her silk nightgown and i