Ryker returns to their resting area. He sits down once more. Ryker looks at Charity resting up against Andrea. She looks to be asleep. Her breathing slow, and her eyelids resting peacefully. He sighs enjoying the silence between all three of them. Ryker closes his own eyes.

He tries relentlessly, but can't seem to sleep. Ryker sighs and does something his mother took advantage of.

Ryker lightly clears his throat and sings,

"Go to sleep young one

It's time to say goodbye

Lay your head upon the ground

I will tuck you in so tight

Say your prayers and they'll be answered

Dream of dreams so light

Lay your head upon the ground

It's time to say goodbye

Oh lay your head upon the ground

It's time to say goodnight." He finishes and suddenly feels very calm. His eyes heavy with the want for sleep.

He chuckles and says, "Mom always knew best."

As soon as his eyes close Charity's flash open. The song so tenderly familiar. How does she know that song? Then it all came flashing back to her. A headache grips her full attention as she grabs the sides of her head attempting to make it end. It was as if someone was slamming her head into a wall repeatedly side to side, or taking a hammer to it. Charity's vision suddenly blanks and goes shades of white and gray. Charity's senses dulling painfully, and then shooting back stronger overloading her system. She cries out but her throat is clenched so tightly that not even air can get out, or in. Then it stops so abruptly she passes out.

Everything that happened the other night was coming back to her but in a dream. She could see herself walking and Ryker following curiously. She lay on the ground, but he never woke her. Instead, he joined her there on the ground. Ryker looks so peaceful while he laid there next to her. Then he suddenly sits up. He looks to her and lifts her. Ryker carries her back to their first "camp". On the way, she said something, but couldn't make it out. All she knows is that the sky. Oh, the sky that night. It was so elegant as if a painter fluently placed the brightest glitter across the dark sky that very night.

Her "dream" ends. She sits up her body forcefully gulping in air. Everything slows all at once. Charity grips her chest as her body shakes with painful hiccups and slowly goes back to normal. Her breathing slows and she falls unconscious and dreams of a soothing nothing.

Ryker, though, can only dream of the color green and pink. Two colors not commonly put together. Yet, his mind did it anyway. The colors meant something to him. Though he didn't know what yet. He would come to realize it soon. The colors, though, they all tie back to Charity. Her green eyes that show everything she's feeling making her emotions vulnerable, but are so alluring at the same time. Charity's pink dress that flowed in the wind and suited her perfectly. In his dream, he could smell lavender and vanilla. The same scent Charity would use before coming here. So, Ryker dreams of her for the night. The first tranquil dream he was having for a very long, long time. Lucky him.

Andrea stirs across from him. A nightmare unfolding in her thoughts and taking over her dreams.

The ground is soaked in crimson red. The sky is a darker shade of red. Her hands are covered in the same red. Then something falls onto her hands. Something cool and wet. Her tears. They fall one by one down her cheek and onto her hands. Andrea cups her hands to catch them all not allowing the corrupted dirt below her have the satisfaction of obtaining them. Her sadness seemed to be spilling out of her with each painful sob and choke. Though she was once told that no amount of crying will get rid of all the pain. Who told her that? Who ripped the hope out of her hands? Wasn't it Ryker? Yes, a week after their father passed She was so young she almost couldn't recall it. Yet, miraculously it was still sitting there in her mind. That one scene in her mind forever. Clamped onto her like the blood on her hands that was melting away with each tear that fell on them. Her small hands signifying youth although she was young she's already seen so much. Too much. That it might push her over the edge and down into a canyon that scares her even now. She was watching now daily as her mom was just barely holding onto that ledge before letting go. How does she do it? How does she hold on? In the midst of these thoughts something plunges through her. The pain so significant it almost wasn't there. It swept through her so easily, so effortlessly. Andrea slowly turns her head to see a man standing behind her, or was it something else. Something more sinister and deadly. A thing that had taken everything from her. Everything, but two very relevant things in the now. Yet, where was now? A younger version of herself looks up at the red sky as a fresher red spills out of her. Matching with the sky. A very pretty sky that has been corrupted like everything else around her.

A breeze sweeps over the three of them. It caresses each one of them gently, like a mother's touch. The gentle wind blew across the land stilling everything. Just for the night. Just to keep them safe.

Charity's dream ends when the sky on the horizon is just a navy blue and the birds haven't even started to sing yet so she immediately falls back to her sleeping position. She tries to sleep for an hour or so but all she really does is twist and turn and twist some more. Charity by the end of the hour has announced herself so much that she just sits up and looks at the others. 'Andrea looks so uneasy' Charity thinks to herself. She naturally felt sorry for her friend then she also realized that she was afraid to move because she did not want to wake her and was not sure how easy it would be to wake Andrea.

Charity glances over at Ryker afraid he might be awake. She didn't want to have to say something to him. Looking at him brought her peace, however, seeing him so… Wait a minute is he smiling? She didn't think he could do much more than smirk and now he is smiling in his sleep. 'What would make him smile? What if he sings the song again? What does he remember of that night? Does he know what I said? Is that why he asked If I had seen the sky?'

The questions keep flying through her brain and it feels like a level 4 twister until something saved her from her own chaotic thoughts. One of the black shadow like figures barely seeable in the light had wandered dangerously close to the three of them, Charity knew what she had to do. She got up ever so slowly and crept toward the creature, her heart reminded her of a young puppy running nonstop. She inches toward the creature floating above the ground. The unholy thing makes several clicking noises looking for something to attack. Charity unsheathes her dagger and makes her move. She drives her silver dagger into the being and watches as it melts into a mere puddle of dark poisonous liquid at her feet.

Charity sighs and looks at the twins sleeping. Good, she didn't wake them. She smiles and plops onto the ground. Her dagger stays in her hand as she watches the sky brighten.

Andrea stirs next to Charity. Charity frowns with concern at her friend. A bigger frown is placed on Andrea's face as she furrows her brows. Charity crawls closer to Andrea and lets Andrea lean up against her small frame.

Charity's eyes wander to Ryker across from them. His smile still there, his arms crossed against his chest, his jet black hair tousled by the wind. She smiles at him. She can't help it. She likes his smile. Without realizing Charity burns the look into her mind. A sweet memory she can look back on, one to make her smile.

Charity laughs lightly to herself and looks towards the entrance of the "camp". The sun is slowly coming up sending bright, single rays of light across the sky and land. Destroying the darkness of night and opening up to the gentle warmth of the day. Charity smiles happily as she bathes in a single ray of sun. It warms her. She closes her eyes when it protrudes to her face. Charity suddenly realizes she should have gotten more sleep. Charity forces her eyes back open and shrugs the sleep off.

Charity's eyes go back to the sky and then Ryker. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees it the creature she had killed. She decides it would be best for her to hide it but she looks back to Andrea. She looks down and thinks of how much she just wants it to clean itself up and looks back at the black puddle again. Looking at it made her remember the bad things of Hydrangea. The things that shouldn't, but did define what it is now. She wants to show her sister the greatness of it all, but not the bad. Not the things like that. Charity wants to protect her sister from unholy things such as itself and her friends.

Charity sits in her backyard bathing in the sunlight holding her two-year-old sister in her lap. They were playing ball, but she got scared of a bug. So Charity scooped her up into her lap.

Charity stands with her little sister snuggling against her a few tears wetting her eyes. Charity opens the sliding glass door and enters the living room. She closes the door and sets down Tryn. Tryn immediately runs to her mother folding laundry on the floor. Tryn knocks down stacks of neatly folded laundry on her way over. Her mother lifts Tryn up into her arms and snuggles the toddler lovingly.

Charity smiles and apologizes, "Sorry I tried to keep her occupied outside, but there was a bug."

Her mother shakes her head and says, "Oh, it's fine. You did what I asked you to, and I got a bit done." Her mother says gesturing to the folded clothes with her eyes. Charity smiles wider at the praise and sits down grabbing a shirt and begins to help fold.

The next thing she knew, she was being shaken awake. The dream was so real, however, that Charity was disoriented.

She complains, "Five more minutes. Isn't it the weekend?!" Charity hears a deep laugh making her eyes open wide as she begins to freak out.

Charity falsely realizes something and yells, "Get out of my room Max! You..."

Ryker never let her continue because he covered her mouth with his hand and then responds, "What room? Stop yelling or you will wake up Andrea!"

"Wha…"

"I wanted to ask you before you started freaking out, what happened when I fell asleep? You and Andrea were not next to each other, and that wasn't there," he proclaims as he points to the remains of the dark creature.

"I meant to clean that up," she states disappointedly.

Ryker sighs and restates, "When did you kill it?"

Charity thinks but can't find the answer. She doesn't remember falling asleep at all. 'How long ago was it? When did Ryker wake up? Does he remember last night?! Why did I do that?'

"A while ago," Charity mutters under her breath. "I have a question for you now," she continues but doesn't mutter this time.

"No surprise, you tend to have a lot of questions," Ryker sneers.

"What? Are you inferring that I'm nosy?"

"Is that your question?" Ryker asks clearly knowing what she meant.

"No, it isn't what I was planning on asking you… you tease! I wanted to ask why you had asked me about the sky the other day?"

Ryker's heart was beating faster now. He almost thought it might not be beating at all. He could feel the warmth on his cheeks. It was the first time in a long time his face gave him away and it was the scariest thing in the world. He wonders if she remembers that night. How he was holding her in his arms. How she so peacefully slept in them.

He couldn't think of what to say and says, "Oh." He sounded so unpleased with the question that Charity broke eye contact. She looks at the sky that breaches through the tree on her left.

Ryker continued, "No reason." He stopped looking at her and soon got lost in trying to find an answer to his own question. He clearly knew, but she wasn't saying anything.

Just then Charity brought him out of his thoughts by saying, "I understand," with a sad tone haunting her voice.

"You do?" He asks. What does she mean by that? I understand. What does she understand?

"Yes, I understand! I know you don't like me. I'm not an idiot Ryker! You insult me every chance you get."

"Please quiet down or you're going to wake Andrea!" Ryker pleads. He doesn't want to get hurt anymore. Waking her would do nothing but that.

" Oh, NOW you're trying to be nice. NOW you say please when I call you out on..." but Charity could not finish because her eyes became itchy. She has no clue why she was getting so worked up over Ryker not telling her! She had no control over her emotions. She was so tired of everything seemingly happening against her. 'Stop taking everything so personally.'

Though he didn't know why Ryker blurts, "I'm sorry that isn't what I meant I… I… Do you remember anything that happened that night?" Then he impulsively uses his right hand to turn her face towards him. He gently moves her chin to point at him.

Charity moves his hand off her face and says, "Yes, well, kind of, I do not know. I know I said something to you but I don't know what."

Ryker nods and recalls what she had said. He remembers it being cute. Ryker smiles lightly at the ground. Charity raises an eyebrow in wonder.

He sighs and looks back up at her and says, "You said that the sky was really amazing, or something like that."

Charity looks at the sky then back at him. He was unconsciously gazing into her eyes. The small amount of sunlight shines in his eyes making the baby blue lighter and more fragile. Her own eyes were slightly lined in red from irritation. Andrea stirs next to Charity distracting the two.

Ryker stands and says, "I'll find some fruit." As he leaves Andrea punches the air in front of her directly where Ryker was sitting.

Charity gawks at her and asks, "Why do you do that?"

Andrea looks at Charity exhaustedly and shrugs.