It ended up taking two days to get from their current location to the property that was once owned by Sarah's family. It was a fairly sizeable area of land on the southern end of Utah.

One thing that continued to amaze David while they traveled was how little the heat affected his mutant companion. Despite having a steady temperature of just over one hundred and seven, she never perspired even though he was close to sweating bullets. Apparently, this was an awful time of year to be out hiking… particularly since they didn't have much in the way of water.

Thankfully, they finally did get picked up by a very friendly hitchhiker who even offered them ice water from a cooler he had in the back. David was so parched by this point that he drank greedily, so much that he felt bad enough to offer their courteous driver what little cash he had left in compensation. The driver politely refused.

Sarah drank little water but otherwise seemed uninterested in anything the driver had to offer or in their company. Even though David glanced at her periodically and occasionally tried to include her in on the conversation, Sarah and her petite form somehow seemed to give off… an aura? A vibe? The more the two men chatted about this and that, the more Sarah became invisible, especially as she simply stared out the window on her side in complete silence.

David could tell that the driver was in no way trying to be rude; there was just something about Sarah's quiet side that made it easy to nearly forget she was even there. She didn't seem to mind anyone talking around her, nor did she make a peep. She might as well have been a second duffle bag David had in the back seat.

In the end, David ended up quiet as the driver continued to chatter about this and that in a friendly, boisterous manner. At the same time, Sarah looked like she might have been napping lightly. David wasn't sure if this level of quiet was a good thing or a bad thing, though he took it as a good sign that she was comfortable enough to rest at least.

The pair was finally dropped off at the start of a long, winding road that would lead uphill and directly to the farm.

"Thanks for the ride, we really appreciate it," David smiled at the driver as he closed the door. "Sarah, aren't you gonna thank Paul?"

Sarah blinked, as though it hadn't occurred to her to say anything, though she apparently decided that she didn't want to be rude. "Thank you," she blurted, then resumed staring up the road.

The driver merely laughed. "Looks like your young lady friend is eager to get moving."

"That she is. But thank you again, Paul. We both appreciate it." David shook the man's hand through the open window on the driver's side.

"I best be gettin' along anyway. You folks take care, I hope you find whatever it is you're looking for when ya get there." With that, Paul waved at them both as he drove away.

"Hey, Sarah," David hurriedly slung his duffle bag over his shoulder as he jogged to catch up to her. "Don't get too far ahead now."

She glanced over her shoulder at him and slowed her pace a tad, but she was still quite anxious to get to the top of the hill. It felt so familiar to walk along this path, almost like she had never been away. Part of her still refused to accept reality. The farm wasn't hers anymore, and she wouldn't reach the top and find her family or anything too familiar from her childhood.

Sarah stopped dead in her tracks when she reached the top of the hill, encountering a high fence that came up to her shoulders. Every five feet, there were metal fence posts with barbed wire in between each one.

The property was also clearly marked:

Private Property

No Trespassing

Violators Will Be Prosecuted

Sarah's eyes remained glued to that sign for a few seconds that, to her, felt like an eternity. It took her a moment to realize that David was trying to get her attention.

She pointed at the sign for emphasis before speaking. "I guess I needed to see that, David. It…" She swallowed, hating the way her emotions made her voice crack. "I can't deny reality anymore. This tells me that this isn't home anymore, and I'm not welcome here anymore."

Her eyes finally snapped away from the sign to look at David when she felt a comforting hand on her shoulder. She slowly reached up and gave his hand a grateful pat, then she sort of shrugged away from his touch. "I don't think anyone is out here right now. Could I just have a moment alone to say goodbye, please? I'm just gonna sit right here, I won't go anywhere or do anything," she promised, showing she meant it by sitting on the ground just underneath the large, ominous sign.

David looked at her for a long moment. There was nothing in her body language that suggested she'd do anything else, and only a fool would try to climb over or under that prickly fence unless absolutely necessary. He could tell she wanted to say goodbye and maybe have a little cry in private.

He looked around briefly, not seeing anyone nearby. "Alright," he nodded, "I'll leave you alone here for a couple of minutes, but then we will have to leave."

"Okay."

After David moved a respectable distance away, Sarah let herself go a little. A gush of emotion cut loose in the form of quiet sobs and a steady flow of tears, releasing a lot of things she had been pent up. There were just some things that had to be dealt with privately, at the right place and the right time.

Sarah cried over the pain and humiliation she endured at the hands of Esben. The hurt and confusion over realizing that Tasha had ulterior motives and that there was more to David than met the eye. Learning of her mother's death, the harsh realities of enduring life as a werewolf, and the search for a cure.

Part of her knew she had already permitted herself to succumb to self-pity. She also knew it wouldn't get her anywhere in the long run. For now, though… she just couldn't see any light at the end of the proverbial tunnel.

What had she been hoping to gain here, anyway? Some kind of closure and acceptance of the present reality, she supposed… though it did nothing to make her feel better. Staring at the giant sign just above where she sat on the grass just made the sting of present circumstances more painful.

She reached out and touched the barb wire fence, deliberately allowing the sharp points to break her skin. She then pulled away, watching the small trickle of blood turn her fingers crimson even as the skin sealed itself up like magic. A tiny injury was quickly healed by her metabolism without the need for extra food, even though the blood remained.

You're not welcome here, freak, a voice inside her mind taunted her as a fresh set of tears streamed down her cheeks. You'll never be welcome anywhere until you're cured.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Sarah's head snapped up. She had been so focused on her own thoughts and emotions she hadn't noticed someone approach the fence from the other side, not even with her sensitive nose or ears. "I-I'm sorry," she was instantly on her feet. "I'll go." She felt like an utter fool, being seen by some stranger like this. She certainly didn't want to draw attention to herself.

"Wait."

Sarah hesitated, already half-turned toward the road to go, but slowly turned back now. She met the eyes of the man who had addressed her, even as her sensitive ears could detect David's footfalls as her friend hurried toward her.

"She didn't mean any harm," she heard David saying as he came near, though she remained frozen in place. "She used to live here, and she just wanted to see it one more time. We'll be going now."

"Sarah?"

David looked a little shocked as he glanced sharply between Sarah and the young man on the other side of the fence.

The stranger hurriedly opened the gate and stepped a little closer, narrowing his eyes. "Sarah? Is that really you?"

Sarah finally found her voice, even if it was little more than a squeak. "J-James?" She licked her lips. "Jimmy?"

In the next instant, Sarah and James found themselves in a tight, familial embrace, each uttering sounds that were a mix of happy reunion and wistful regret. They pulled apart after a moment, regarding one-another with uncertainty. They were relieved to see each other, but they hadn't parted on good terms… and some things still hung between them.

"Um, David, this is my brother, James." Sarah then motioned at David. "James, this is my friend, David Ban-"

"I'm David Baxton." David shot Sarah a brief look.

Sarah looked at him sharply, her jaw dropped at the mistake she'd almost made. "Y-yes, David Baxton," she quickly recovered, shooting David an apologetic look full of regret and sheepishness. He caught it, his own expression softening with a slight nod.

"Is something wrong?" James asked, noting her odd behavior, but then he became focused on another matter. "Are you sick, Sarah? You felt hot." He moved to touch her forehead, though she balked at his touch and pushed his hand away.

"I'm fine," she said a bit stiffly.

David said, "Sarah has been recovering from the flu these past few days."

"I'm okay," Sarah repeated when James touched her hand. "It's just… leftover fever." She cleared her throat. "So what are you doing here?" she asked, trying to change the subject and out of genuine curiosity. "Mom and Dad sold this place years ago, so unless you got a windfall and bought it back-"

"No," James said, "but the people who own it now are letting me stay and work here in exchange for free room and board. I'm a caretaker for the property and the pigs."

"Pigs?"

"Yeah, it's mostly just a huge pig farm now. Lots of hogs of different colors, shapes, and sizes. But they make good money," James said.

"No more crops or chickens or… anything?"

"Nope."

"Pigs…" Sarah seemed to be trying to process that piece of information. They never would have had pigs on the farm when her family had owned it.

"Look," James motioned toward the gate, "the people who own it now don't seem to mind if I have visitors sometimes… maybe you both could stay here for a couple of days. You could even stay in your old room, Sarah… it's got all new furniture, and all of your stuff is gone, but it's still the same room. David, you could say in our parents' old room if you want."

"Alright, thank you," David inclined his head, willing to go along with this for now.

Twenty minutes later, the three of them were seated in the living room with iced water, and some quickly reheated leftovers from James' dinner the previous night.

It was a cheesy casserole that definitely had a lot of pork in it.

"Do they let you have some of the… the meat here?" Sarah asked as she slowly ate it.

This was the first time David had seen her eat in a more… refined way, gently picking up small bits almost daintily with her fork instead of… wolfing it down. He could guess why; she was trying to act normal in front of her brother.

"Yeah, sometimes." James didn't seem inclined to say any more on the subject.

Over the next half-hour or so, the entire conversation all around was cagey, even if it seemed everyone was trying to be sociable at least.

David said very little about his life. He was more interested in asking James about himself and made a few remarks about how nicely furnished, well-supplied, and maintained the house seemed to be.

Sarah was somewhat cagey in her own way, though she was a tad more talkative than when she was around strangers or even David. David diplomatically interjected or supplied a tactful redirection in the conversation if it seemed she might accidentally blurt out something she shouldn't… possibly about him, or even herself.

In turn, James himself didn't say that much either. He went on at one point about how great the people who owned the farm property and house were, and how they had invested in a fair number of farms across the state and couldn't take care of them all by themselves.

James didn't say much more about the landowners or how he came to live on the farm again. He only spoke about the house or what his daily routine was like on the farm.

By the time they all finished eating (David having only one portion, James having seconds, and Sarah indulging in three servings,) the atmosphere felt somewhat relaxed yet awkward. It was almost like three strangers sitting at the table, with no-one having the ability to let down their guard or talk about much of anything freely.

David readily agreed to clear the table and wash the dishes when asked, then James excused himself and took Sarah outside to speak to her in private.

James made it a point to go all the way out to the nearest pigpen, as though wanting to make sure there was no way David could eavesdrop. "So what's really going on, Sarah?"

"What do you mean?" Sarah eyed the large hogs moving about in the pen, glad that she had just eaten something. The scent of the pigs was enough to get the wolf inside of her excited... not to mention her close proximity to them in a convenient, confined space.

"Something's been 'off' ever since you showed up at the front gate. Come on, Sis, you've been acting so weird all day." James folded his arms. "Are you still mad at me for running away after the car accident?"

"Maybe a little." Sarah folded her arms too.

They stared at each other for a long moment.

"Look," James dropped his hands and shoved them into his pockets, staring at his feet as he spoke. "I just couldn't stay. I needed to get away from everything. I did come back and try to find you after a few days, but you were gone, and it's not like you left a way for me to find you, either."

"Well, maybe if you hadn't left in the first place…" Sarah trailed off.

James sighed. "Do you really want to stand here and debate the past? Can't we just move on from here?"

Sarah turned away, leaning with one arm across the pigpen as she watched the animals move to and fro. "There's something odd about this spot," she said after sniffing the air a few times.

"Huh? What do you mean, Sarah?"

Sarah clamped her mouth shut and pressed her lips into a thin line, staring at him with an odd expression. It seemed there was something she'd wanted to say, but… she didn't dare.

"Sarah, what is it?" James looked and sounded perplexed, but also a bit agitated and nervous.

She shook her head and waved a hand through the air as if to erase the words that had just been said… along with whatever it was, she had sensed that she didn't want to state aloud. "Who are the other people that have been inside the house?" she said instead.

James looked floored but quickly recovered. "What are you talking about? There's been nobody else there."

"Yes, there has."

"What in the hell makes you say that? You've only been here for an hour. You don't know what goes on."

"I smelled-" Sarah stopped herself. "I just know that there have been at least three other people inside that house recently."

"This isn't any of your business," James snapped, "but I sometimes have company over. Sometimes the owners come by to see how things are going, too. Remember, our family doesn't own this place anymore, Sarah."

"Then why…" Sarah trailed off, once again clamping her mouth shut.

"Why what?" James sounded very agitated now.

"...Nevermind."

James sighed. "Look, I have everything under control here. You don't need to worry about it. But I would still like to talk about you and this David guy you showed with here."

Sarah tensed, her shoulders going rigid… almost arching.

Narrowing his eyes, James said, "You haven't said anything about where you have been all this time. Where did you go after the car accident? What have you been doing?"

"I already told you."

"You haven't said much of anything, Sarah. Just that you've been out and around and now, apparently, you're traveling with David."

"Well, you haven't really told me anything, either."

"There's just something weird about you now, Sarah. Something I can't figure out yet." James grabbed her wrist, then placed his hand across her cheek and temple before she could stop him. "You haven't felt this warm since you were ten and had a nasty fever. You had to spend a few days in the hospital, and I swear you feel even warmer now than you did then."

Sarah wrenched her wrist out of his hand and brushed his hand away from her face. "It's just the remnants of the flu. That's all."

James shook his head. "I don't buy that. It's just something about the way you look."

"What do I look like, exactly?" Sarah's voice had raised an octave.

For a moment, James seemed to struggle to find the words, as though he was trying to figure out what seemed off after not seeing his sister for some time. "You're way too skinny for one," he finally said. "I mean, just look at you!" He gestured at her slender form with both hands, as though sizing her up. "Your appetite seemed hardy enough back in the house, but you look like skin and bones with barely anything in-between! Have you been eating enough?"

"I eat plenty… more than you know."

"And what is with your eyes?"

Sarah suddenly looked much more self-conscious than she did already. "My eyes?"

"They've always been sort of a milk-chocolate brown, just like mine, remember?" He pointed at his own eye. "I know that because everybody, especially Grandma, always said we had identical eyes. She always liked to say our eyes were her 'sweet, milk chocolate Hershey drops.' Now it's like they're sorta…" He peered closer at her unblinking face, trying to identify what he saw there. "I think they're lighter… more like hazel, with specks of… gold."

Sarah turned away from him and took a couple of steps back.

"And you just don't seem like the same Sarah I used to know," James went on. "I mean, I know it's really you. But you're just not the same."

"You don't seem the same either, James," she shot right back. "You don't really look much different, except… I think you've filled out a bit more, and you have more muscle, but you have been treating me like a stranger and keeping me at arm's length."

"Oh… that's because David's here. I'm not comfortable being open about my private affairs when there's a stranger present."

"Well, David isn't here right now. So why don't you tell me what's going on?"

"There isn't anything going on. I'm serving as a caretaker because I don't have anything else, and I feel at home here." James folded his arms. "I just want to be here."

They spent the next five minutes going in verbal circles. James still persisted that there was something weird about her and tried to press for more information about her health and what she had been doing or where she had gone in recent months, but she kept silent.

James, in turn, wouldn't say anything other than he was apparently working for very awesome people who let him stay in exchange for merely taking care of the pigs and doing some maintenance work around the property.

Both of them ended up getting more frustrated until they shouted angrily at each other. James finally stormed off, saying he had things he needed to do around the property. Sarah went back into the house and slammed the front door behind her.

"What happened?"

Sarah's head snapped up when she realized she had been stewing for a full minute with her back pressed against the door.

"You alright?" David prompted again.

It took Sarah a moment to find her voice enough to articulate. She had a dozen different thoughts swarming through her mind and didn't know where to begin. There were also things she wasn't ready to mention to him yet…

Was she wrong about what her nose had detected in the pigpen? She had to be.

She decided to leave that alone for now. Instead, she opened up about a different thought that bothered her just as much. "David, he said that there were some things that were 'weird' about me." She gave him the run-down of what James said.

David regarded her knowingly as she spoke. Her unusually high temperature was normal for her, but it was the one thing that people would tend to notice as 'off' immediately if anyone touched her. He made a mental note to try and help her find a way to remedy that in the future. Perhaps she could get into the habit of wearing long sleeves and stylish gloves or something, at least in settings where she would need to interact a lot with people.

After all, human contact was a necessity. Shaking hands, for one thing. But they would deal with that at a later point in time.

"James is your brother, so he was bound to notice some differences in you now," David said slowly. "Where is he?"

"I think he went to fix a fence or something." Sarah didn't want to delve into anything else yet… she just wanted to think, maybe calm her emotions a bit more. "I just want to go to my old room for a while, okay?"

"Okay," David acknowledged, "but just remember," he held up a finger, stopping her before she could just walk away, "you can't keep yourself holed up in there forever. Take whatever time you need, but you will have to come out again soon to face whatever is going on."

Sarah drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Yeah, I know."

With a nod, David let her go. He watched her disappear into her old room, frowning slightly.

Something was clearly going on around here. Something that made Sarah's brother seem 'off' himself.