For Candace, the incident with Molly may as well have been the equivalent of slamming her fist down on life's reset button. In spite of how little she'd managed to climb out of the abyss that had laid claim to her life so long ago crashing back down against the ground at full force may as well have hurt as much as it would from the top. Had it been a more literal scenario it felt as though it may as well have killed her. She was like a frightened turtle who after being afraid for so long finally decided to poke their head out of its shell only to remember why they hid in the first place.
Molly had given her her first glimpse into a brighter world that sat in wait for her, one that she didn't have to be afraid of. But it was one that she could not suitably navigate without a proper guide. A guide who now may as well have despised her.
With her only friend now gone from her side she was right back to where she had started before Molly had managed to step foot in the tailor shop just short of half a season ago.
Alone.
Candace was hardly a stranger to the pains of isolation but now it only devastated her further. She had felt, if only for a moment, what it was like to have someone care about you and in an instant it was taken from her by her own hand. In her view she was an absolute monster. One who deserved to be locked away from everyone.
Fearing there was no other choice she reverted back to her old existence of severe isolation with ease. Even the brief sense of joy that had come from fixing the scarf had all but vanished, leaving her unable to even feel the desire to venture back to the sewing station.
When Candace had first rushed home after her incident at the mailbox Shelly was quick to pick up on the fact that something was wrong when she watched her granddaughter quickly darted into her room without so much as a word. Any attempt she made over the passing days to learn about what was causing her poor Candace so much distress however was met with the typical response of "Nothing," or "I'm fine, really," which, as her expression said, was the exactly the kind of answer she feared. She almost desperately wanted to help, it was in her nature not just as a grandmother but as a caring individual, but naturally Candace refused to accept it, unwilling to accept what she saw as only pity.
All the while as she sat alone within her room her heart carried the faintest hope that Molly would come knocking on the door of the shop seeking to accept the whole-hearted apology she'd no doubt cry to her. Though her mind had given up hope on ever being able to make amends her heart refused to given in. There was simply something special about Molly that captivated her like nothing she'd ever felt before.
Her gentle smile, her calm way of speaking to her, her sincere regard for her feelings. Her heart just wasn't ready to let her go just yet.
Eventually a visitor did come to the tailor shop, but it was one she had not expected.
Through the front window of the store Candace watched as the approaching winds of the fall season ran across the trees out down the road, signifying the forthcoming end of summer. From the distance she could sense that the breeze carried a curious sense of liveliness that hadn't been felt for quite some time. Even in face of the upcoming autumn decay it appeared as though nature was reawakening.
All the while as she watched the quiet countryside the comforting light of the sun shone down on her through the opening in the curtains. Its warmth brought back memories of the passing sense of joy she had felt during her brief time outside, its gentle embrace calling for her to experience it once more. She could hardly entertain the idea, however, as fear's grip held strong.
Should she choose to venture out again what was to stop her from hurting another person?
Hastily, she retreated away from her position before the window and further back into the house, and by extension, the shadows. She needed to cut off the temptation of the outside world as venturing out had only brought her misery as of late.
Left with no other choice she withdrew into body as she dragged herself back off into the bedroom. Without any distractions that would dare attempt to revive her spirits it was the perfect place for a broken girl like her to continue her sulking. Unfortunately it came with the downside of having virtually nothing for her to do, leaving her to simply collapse upon her bed once more with grief. Now amidst the darkness of the room she curled herself up into a ball atop the center of the mattress and held herself.
With a heavy sigh she gently closed her eyes and hoped to fall asleep in order to put yet another day behind her when the muffled sound of excited chatter started to come from the other room. With Shelly having been out for the morning it seemed reasonable to assume that she might have returned in the company of Colleen or someone else from town but her level of enthusiasm that carried through the wall appeared to indicate otherwise. From her spot Candace sat up and leaned her ear closer to the edge of the room when the door opened revealing an incredibly happy Shelly, visibly shocking her.
"Candace, do come out." Her tone rang with excitement she hardly managed to contain. "You'll never believe who's here! They've been dying to see you all day."
Candace could hardly get out a peep before Shelly scurried back out of the room, letting the door silently close behind her. Her grandmother's neglect of her obvious depression did her no favors. Sighing again her head dropped down as she crawled back out of bed, certain that whoever lied in wait for her was going to be of no use in cheering her up. Weakly, she carried herself over to the door and opened it.
The sound of a joyous gasp filled her ears as she had begun to gradually lift her head up only to meet the sight of a sea of lavender colored hair that flooded her view.
"Oh Candace there you are!" The voice of her sister exclaimed just as Candace found herself constricted in her tight grip. "I've missed you so much!"
Candace's eyes widened and an inaudible gasp escaped her lips as she felt her body practically go limp in her sister's grasp. She remained silent in shock as Luna continued to hold her.
"You don't know how good it is to finally see you after all this time." Luna nearly wept as she finally pulled herself away. The unsteady smile on her face made it appear as though she was ready to cry with delight at any moment.
"L-Luna…" Candace started to utter. "Y-You're back…" For as truly grateful as she was to really be seeing her sister again her voice could only sound hollow as though there was something wrong with her sudden reappearance.
"You wouldn't believe it," began Shelly as she approached the pair. "I was just out for a little midmorning walk when I bumped into Ruth out on the pier. I decided to keep her company while she waited for Pascal to return after picking up Anissa and then next thing you know I'm nearly fainting when I see Luna right there beside her on the boat!"
Luna broke out in an infectious smile and tried to conceal the budding blush on her face. "Haha, I really have Anissa to thank for bringing me here. I was lucky enough to run into her out in the city a few days ago so we decided to get some lunch at a nice little café. She told me that her mother had recently wrote to her saying that their farm had somehow come back to life and how she was all ready to come back here to Castanet. When I heard that the waters cleared up too and that Pascal would be coming any day to pick her up I just couldn't stop thinking about home…"
Again, Luna looked as if she was ready to cry as she took a moment to calm herself.
"I guess… I guess my homesickness really got the better of me…" She finished, practically in tears. In one swift movement she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around both her grandmother and Candace. "I've missed you both so much…"
"And we've missed you too." Shelly replied gently.
Candace's expression remained completely unchanged this entire time. Even as Luna released the pair and gazed longingly at the family she had long been separated from not even the slightest semblance of emotion could be found upon her face. It was just completely blank.
"Isn't that right Candace?" She heard her grandmother ask from her side.
Carefully Candace turned to her and gave a slow nod, her breathing rate visibly unstable. "Y-Yeah…"
She looked back at Luna as she wiped a tear from her eye while her lips quivered. It only furthered her disgust with herself as she failed to focus on anything else other than how Luna was obviously better at handling this situation than her. Her dear sister whom she hadn't seen for nearly two years now was standing before her with tears of joy streaming down her eyes yet she could hardly muster up any emotion at all.
Nothing pained her more than her inability to see the situation as anything other than another "contest" Luna had beat her at.
"I'm… I'm really glad you're back too…" She tried to affectionately say but her words came out as hollow as her expression.
Luna smiled, oblivious to her sister's empty remark. "Oh Candace, it's been forever since we've really talked. We really need to catch up on things; I must have missed so much over these last few years."
Candace began to sink as her thoughts turned to back to her letter. If she struggled so much to write out her feelings to her sister there was hardly a reason to believe that she could say them to her in person.
"Oh, and you too grandma." Luna added with a joyful giggle.
"Well I don't think too much has changed since our last letters out to you." Shelly said. "You did receive them before you left right?"
Luna lowered her brow and scratched her head. "You mean the ones you sent back at the start of spring? Surely things haven't stayed the same that long."
Shelly gave a slight gasp as her eyes lit up. "Oh? So you didn't get the ones we sent out last week? Candace had them dropped off for delivery but I guess it just wasn't fast enough."
"Guess not," Luna shrugged. "But that just gives us an excuse to get really catch up. I want to hear everything."
Contrary to the smile Luna finished with Candace only receded further into depression's clutches. With the revelation that Luna was apparently never in fact going to receive the letter that caused her so much grief and embarrassment her entire fit over sending it only became more pointless. Even worse was that if Molly's outburst at her was indeed some sort of cosmic retribution for her attempt to disregard her sister then she had costed herself her only friend for nothing.
Never before had she felt like such a failure.
"Well things certainly have recovered around here." Candace's attention slowly turned to her grandmothers words towards Luna. "Just about everyone's come back to town as well it seems, oh, we even got a new resident too. Isn't that right Candace?"
She felt a shiver run through her body as both Shelly and Luna's attention feel on her. "Really?"
Surely Shelly was referring to Molly, the last person Candace wanted to think about.
"Y-Yeah…" She nodded without much of a choice, completely unwilling to say her name.
"She's a nice young farmer, Molly's her name I think." Shelly chuckled. "Took over that vacant farmhouse right beside the fields. She seems to be quite the popular one around here, even her and Candace have spent quite a bit of time together."
An earthquake may as well have passed through Candace's body as all eyes fell on her again.
"No way, is she serious?" Luna playfully asked.
Though Candace knew her sister's words were nothing more than typical sibling teasing with her happiness seemingly at an all-time low it came off to her like the harshest of insults. At that moment she wanted to do a lot of things. She wanted to cry, she wanted to disappear, she wanted to wake up from what felt like a terrible nightmare.
But strangest of all she could feel that there was a part of her that also didn't want to give up.
Shelly's mere mention of the handful of times Molly and her had spent together reminded her of how in those brief moments she had actually managed to feel confident in herself. Her heart continued to refuse and let go of all hope for both herself, and her relationship with Molly.
"Y-Yeah… we're… friends…" Her tone carried just louder than a small mouse and carried a sense of uncertainty.
"Oh my god! I just have to meet her now." Luna started to beam with a laugh as she leaned over and embraced Candace. "You'll have to introduce us."
"Now, now, I'm sure you and Candace can go out and see everybody tomorrow or something once you've gotten settled back here at home." Shelly told her as she released her sister. Candace remained as silently unsteady as when she'd been picked up again.
Luna gave a bit of a frown and started to pout. "But it's such a lovely day out today. Let me tell you, when you've been breathing nothing but that dirty city air everywhere you go for the past two years coming back here is like… well, like a breath of fresh air. Just getting five feet off the dock back there was a relief."
"But what about all of your things?" Shelly asked eyeing the set of suitcases still placed over by the front door. "Surely you'd like to at least unpack first?"
"Oh it can wait." Luna grumbled before sticking her pinky out. "I'll get everything sorted and away as soon as I get back, promise."
"Well if you insist." Shelly sighed causing Luna's spirits visibly picked up.
"I'd just like to get some time out in the nice weather is all." She admitted. "Fall's just around the corner which means soon it'll be time for some colder weather… and less fashionable attire at that. I always did like our summer outfits more than our later year wear."
That said Luna turned and took a good look over towards the shop, noticeably admiring the display's carrying Candace's work.
"I see you're just as amazing as ever at designing outfits Candace." Luna remarked, turning back to her sister. Her voice trailed off towards the end of her comment, carrying almost what sounded like a sense of disappointment in something.
"They're n-nothing… really…" Candace replied as expected while looking away.
When Candace's view returned back to her sister she watched as Luna's lips curled up into an encouraging smile. She briefly smiled back before looking off to the side again, tugging on the end of her sleeve as she did so.
"I guess I should probably get going then if I want to see everyone before it gets dark." Luna said. Her eyes bounced between Shelly and Candace for a moment. "Won't you come with Candace?"
"M-Me…?" Candace nervously blurted out as she quickly looked at her.
Luna lightheartedly smirked. "Of course you."
Candace withdrew into herself. It seemed like a harmless question, much like when Molly had invited her to the bar, but its weight felt all too similar to the one out on the cliffside all those nights ago. It was a second chance for her to support her sister and she couldn't afford to let her down again, even if every fiber of her being was prepared to scream no.
"A-Alright…" She answered. "I'll come…"
For as forced as her answer came off Luna nonetheless accepted it with a proud smile. To Candace it was one she should have received years ago had she managed to have the courage then.
"You two go off and have a good time then." Shelly smiled as Candace joined Luna at her side before following her over to the door. "I'll see what I can do about fixing up a nice welcome back dinner for when you two come home."
"You're the best you know it." Luna said as she smiled happily. "Both of you…"
"We're just glad to finally have you back home with us." Shelly replied. "We've really missed you."
Candace continued to remain silent as the two briefly exchanged pleasantries once again, still unable to genuinely say those three little words.
As the two stood outside tailor shop planning their next step Candace took a moment to feel as the rejuvenated wind brushed through her hair. The cooling sensation of the breeze combined with the gentle warmth of the sun put her mind and body at temporary ease. Everything felt so calm in contrast to the lingering sense of decay that had been present throughout the area just a short while ago. It seemed that in the end things for Castanet and its people might be alright in the end.
Candace could only hope to be included in such a happy ending.
"Now where to even begin…?" Luna wondered aloud, bringing her sister out of her trance. "What do you think Candace?"
"W-Well we could go and say hi to Julius first. I know he'd be h-happy to tell you that the jewelry store r-reopened." She answered by suggesting the first person she knew they both had a slight connection to.
"Ugh, thanks for reminding me all about that creep!" Luna gagged. "For as stylish as he thinks he may be he's a total jerk. Has he been bothering you at all since I left?"
"N-No, not at a-all!" To Luna practically any interactions she saw between him and her sister teetered on the fine line of bullying.
Luna scoffed off to the side. "Well if he ever starts to get on your nerves you just let me know, ok?"
Candace sank. She had always thought she was supposed to look out for her little sister, not the other way around.
"You could introduce me to that new friend of yours?" Luna suggested with a grin.
Candace felt that standard shock throughout her body. Her mind had been so preoccupied with Luna's arrival that she nearly managed to forget about her incident with Molly. She couldn't dare try to speak to her before apologizing for offending her could she?
"I… I t-think she's busy today…" She muttered.
Luna raised an eyebrow at her, seemingly unconvinced.
"She… she w-works hard on her farm a lot…"
"Makes sense I guess." Luna shrugged. "She doesn't have anyone to help her?"
Candace shook her head. "It's just her I t-think…"
"Sheesh, wonder what dragged her all the way out here alone then." Luna pondered. "I doubt I could handle a whole farm by myself. All that dirt and sweat, yuck, it makes me want to ump in a bath just thinking about it."
Candace nervously looked away from Luna. Grateful that her lie to try and stay away from Molly worked, but disappointed with herself that it was something she felt had to be done.
"Hm, looks like you still got the same feelings about hard work as usual." They both heard Kathy jokingly mock from behind.
Candace turned with her sister to see her approaching from the bridge.
"Well I'm sure if you ever worked hard at something you'd agree with me." Luna taunted right back, a smirk painted across her face.
"So it really is you." Kathy smiled. "I thought I heard someone over here complaining about Julius."
Luna shrugged. "Can you really blame me? The guy's a total creep."
"Can't say I really talk with him enough to know but I'll take your word for it I guess. Surely you didn't come all the way back home to tell everyone that?" Kathy asked with a laugh.
"Hardly," Luna laughed back. "I'm back, well, simply because I wanted to come home. I heard things were finally starting to turn around back here and thought it was as good a time as ever to finally make my homecoming."
"Seems like everyone's getting in that mindset nowadays." Remarked Kathy. "I heard Anissa was coming back today too and Gill got in just the other day as well. If you two would like some of us are gathered over in the bar for a 'secret meeting.' I'm sure they'd love to hear that you're back in town too."
Luna turned to Candace, finally acknowledging her presence since Kathy had appeared. "Sounds like fun, you in?"
Candace's eyes bounced between the two of them, nearly trembling with anxiety from the forthcoming social interaction.
"I-I guess I can come with." She answered quietly.
Luna's face beamed with a smile. "Alright. Lead the way Kathy."
Kathy nodded and the sisters followed closely behind as she headed back over to her home across the small walkway, Candace trailed just a tad behind her sister as to potentially conceal herself. As she expected, entering the room turned out to be a repeat of the party earlier in the season.
"Hey everyone, look who I managed to find outside." Kathy announced to the group gathered around the bar.
"Well I'll be, is that Luna I see there?" Hayden asked from his typical spot behind the counter.
"It appears to be so." Chase responded as he crossed his arms. "What a pleasant surprise this is now."
"First Gill and now Luna? Why, it's like a happy little reunion here in town now!" Chirped Maya with glee.
As everyone exchanged their pleasantries with Luna, Candace became frozen with fear once she noticed Molly within the group staring right back at her. Her troubled gaze remained fixated on the static blue-haired girl for what felt like hours, carrying a sense similar to that of when they had spoken on the beach so many nights ago. It was hard to notice but she appeared to withdraw into herself as her view began to shoot about the room before settling on Luna.
"So, you're Candace's little sister." Molly greeted as she started to carefully approach her. Her tone was unnerved. "I've heard so much about you lately that I was wond-."
"I'm not little!" Luna exclaimed in annoyance. "I'll have you know that I'm only two years younger than her! I'm not some sort of child!"
Kathy leaned over towards Molly as she backed away. "She's a little sensitive about possibly being thought of as a child…" She said in a low whisper.
Molly nodded before returning to Luna.
Luna on the other hand quickly blushed from embarrassment and noted everyone's silent reaction towards her. "… Sorry… I didn't mean to blow up like that…"
"It's alright I… didn't mean to offend you…" Molly spoke softly, her view noticeably shifting slightly towards on Candace.
"No, really, it was all my bad. I shouldn't just shout at somebody I don't know, it's incredibly rude." Luna offered a small smile. "Hm, I'm Candace's sister, Luna, as you already seem to know."
"I'm Molly." She smiled back, shaking the hand Luna offered. "I moved into the small farm down the road just a while ago. Everyone seems to speak so highly of you around here so I'm glad I get to finally meet you."
Candace naturally began to wilt at the reminder of her sister's unprecedented reputation compared to hers.
"Haha, I didn't know I had so many fans." Luna laughed before looking over at Kathy. "Is that what your 'secret meeting' is about?"
"Did you seriously call it that…?" Chase groaned with an eye roll as the girls all giggled.
"Ha, I kind of like referring to it as that." Maya laughed.
"Lighten up Chase. I was just having a little fun is all." Kathy teased with a wink. "Sides, it made it easier to convince them to stop by for a bit."
"I mean we probably would have come anyway, right Candace?" Luna asked.
Candace simply nodded, afraid to even dare speak in front of Molly.
"So what are you all really discussing then? Anything interesting?" Luna's attention returned to the group.
"Well old Hamilton's fixing to help bring some fun back to town now that the weather seems to be calming down. Since his son's come back along with everyone else he's been hoping we can finally celebrate the summer festival since we've had to skip out on having it for so long." Hayden explained. "Of course it just depends on whether or not we'll all be able to get things set up in time."
"We're naturally in charge of making sure they'll be enough food to go around, especially on such short notice." Kathy added.
"Those of us that can cook at least." Muttered Chase resulting in Maya innocently sticking her tongue out at him.
"Oh that sounds like a wonderful idea!" Luna beamed. "I'm sure it'll be a great time. What about you Candace?"
Candace shook and looked over towards the empty side of the bar. "Y-Yeah… It sounds like it'll be f-fun…" She answered quietly. Her mind wanted to end that thought with 'for you all' but something told her there was hardly a chance she'd be able to skip out on participating in the festivities. Slowly her eyes wandered back over to Molly who still stood off to the side, appearing to be as unhappy as herself.
"Do… d-do you cook too M-Molly…?" She asked, the stammering of her voice matching that of her heart.
Molly appeared caught off guard by her question. "H-Huh? What, oh, no, I don't. Haha, I'm just here to see if they'd like any specific crops or the like. I guess Renee was supposed to be here to try and help with that too but I haven't seen her at all." Once done answering she nervously looked down and then back up at Candace with a small smile on her face.
"Oh, I see…" Candace said while anxiously looking away.
"Well if Anissa's back now then I'm sure those two are probably chatting the day away as we speak." Assumed Kathy. "Those two have been like that since we were all kids. I'm sure she'll stop by later though, her family's farm and Marimba have given us some quality crops over the years. "
Candace would have just stopped talking then and there if not for the voice in her head nagging for her to say more in an effort to show Molly that she wasn't as horrible as their last encounter made her out to be. Given what happened the last time she gave into the voice she was feared for the worst but felt that the more public setting would at least reduce any potential anger she may trigger.
"I-I'm sure your crops are j-just as good Molly…" She said, noticeably bracing herself for any sort of blowup.
"W-What? Oh no!" Molly started to blush. "I'm just a beginner at this, I'm sure my stuff is nowhere near as good or probably tasty as theirs."
"Oh don't be so down on yourself." Chase told her. "Have a bit of faith in yourself."
"Yeah, I'm sure you're gonna have a great first harve- WAIT! How come you've never told me that before Chase?" Maya began in a pleasant tone before experiencing a sudden rage.
Chase merely shrugged rather smugly.
"We'll take whatever you can give us gladly, really. I'm sure you're doing a fine job out there." Said Kathy as her father nodded from behind.
The rosy shade of Molly's cheeks only grew darker as she took in everyone's compliments. She rather shyly looked away to try and conceal her gratitude before looking back over at Candace causing her expression to become almost guilty. She looked back over at the floor off to the side of her feet.
"Thanks everyone…" She muttered.
As Candace continued to stare in surprise that her compliment seemed to have worked Luna eyed her with a smile.
"Well I guess we'll let you guys get back to sorting everything else out then." She said as she readdressed the group. "I should probably go and check up with some other friends… and Julius…" She mumbled that last bit under her breath. "Shall we Candace?"
Candace have a nod as she turned to her. "Yeah, I g-guess."
"It was lovely seeing all of you again, and meeting you too Molly." She waved.
Molly looked over at her and Candace, still visibly troubled. "It was nice to meet you too. I hope we'll get a chance to see each other again soon…" Her gaze, again, appeared fixated on Candace before drifting off into space.
"Let us know how everything goes!" Requested Luna as she made her leave. Candace remained in her spot for a moment and watched Molly for another moment before hurrying off after her sister.
Outside the bar Candace caught up to Luna's side as she appeared to be making her way up towards the church grounds. Luna stayed silent for a moment before stopping in her tracks.
"That was a really nice thing you did in there for Molly." She confessed as she faced her sister.
A blush appeared on Candace's face and she immediately looked down at her feet to hide it. "I-It was n-nothing really…"
"I thought it was sweet. You're a real good friend Candace." She continued.
Candace's mood began to shift. She felt that Luna wouldn't say such a thing if she had known about what she did to Molly the last time they talked. Yet at the same time her heart told her that if Molly had truly hated her like she wanted to believe then she wouldn't have been so accepting of her compliment. After a moment she looked back up at her sister's smiling face and all negativity in her mind temporally disappeared.
"Do… do you r-really mean it…?" She asked.
"Of course I do." Luna answered with a smile.
She then leaned forward and lovingly embraced her sister.
"I missed you…" She whispered after a moment.
Candace finally began to hug her back.
"…I missed you too…"
A/N: It's finally done! After sitting in my files halfway done for 2 weeks now it's finally done. Sorry for the delay, like I said last time school's got me quite busy which makes it hard to find time outside a few hours on the weekend to write stuff. Hopefully it was worth the wait.