Date: July 27th 2008

So… I slept with Selena… twice. I'm not even sure how that happened. Okay, that's a lie, I sorta know how it happened. It's just a little bit hard to get my head around because I never imagined ever getting with somebody like her. I mean, I always had a thing for her, but I never thought anything would come of it. I figured we'd just be friends and I was honestly cool with that. I'd just keep her in my fantasies.

Anyway, Selena has been incredibly moody since the nukes fell. I mean, can you blame her? We all have had our moments (some worse than others), but she kind of shut down, though not in the same way as Molls. When Molly shut down, she just stopped doing anything at all besides sleep, cry, and eat whatever food I can convince her to swallow. Selena still goes to work, but she's been so emotionally distant. Kathy told me that she hasn't been talking to her either and those two are joined at the hip.

So, she finally started talking to me last Friday. I was at the bar for a drink and I saw her at the counter, fresh off her shift, drink in one hand, head in the other. Even though she hadn't been talking to me, I asked her what was wrong. She tells me "nothing," so I told her that if she needed to talk to me about anything, I'd be there. I didn't expect her to respond to that simple response, but she then looked me in the eyes and something just snapped within her. Maybe she realized that she could talk to me; that I was safe. Suddenly, she's started telling me everything. In addition to her grief at the world's destruction, she also starts talking to me about how her dreams of going to the mainland and making it as a famous dancer were dashed. I tried to talk to her the best I could (I already had similar conversations with Molls, now that she can't do anything with that degree of hers), but I also reminded her that no matter what, she still had her family, her friends, myself… She was crying a little, so she told me that we should keep talking in her room. We go there and she keeps talking about how I've always been good to her… this is when it got weird. Her tone takes a 180 and she started asking me what I'm so afraid of. I didn't know what she meant until she kissed me. Next thing I know, I'm in bed with her, having the best sex of my life. And I swear, I'm not exaggerating at all; it literally was the best, fucking sex I've ever had. I mean, on top of her being hot as hell and having a perfect body, she seemed to know exactly what I wanted before I even knew myself. And all those daydreams I had about her? She blew them out of the water.

So the next morning, I had to leave her at six so I could go to work. Afterward, I met up with her in town and we get lunch. We talked about the elephant in the room and she apologetically told me that she got caught up in her emotions the night before and that she just wanted to be friends. Honestly, that's what I expected she'd want, so I was cool with it (albeit a little bit disappointed.) She told me that I should come by the bar and get a drink with her after her work so we could continue smoothing things over. I said "sure," and I went… and it just ended with us fucking again.

So yeah, that's where I'm at right now. She went to go visit her parents today, so I haven't talked to her yet. I just want to know what this all means. Are we actually starting something here or are these casual encounters going to remain just that? Whatever the case, at the very least, I got to live out one of my fantasies. That might be a little bit objectifying of me to write, but hey, I can't wipe this grin off my face. Knowing how small this town is, people will figure out soon. I wonder how people will react… Gill will probably make a snide comment, Luna will probably yell at me, and Molls… Let's hope she says nothing. There have been a few times when I have had the opportunity to hear what she's really thinking and let's just say that "ridiculously harsh" is an understatement with her. But what's done is done, and the music isn't something that I've ever been afraid to face.

Chapter Two: Purpose

June 5th 2010

The animals were still waking up when Kasey arrived at the barn. When they woke up, he would herd them over to the milking machines that he had installed in the spring before the war where his farmhands waited to hook them up. He was glad he splurged on them, considering how much of a pain it would have been to milk them all by hand. He had seventy or so now, alongside twenty goats, twenty sheep, his two ostriches, and a few horses, including Twister (Kathy's gray horse, who she paid him to shelter.) As for the chickens, ducks, and silkworms, he didn't know how many he had anymore. And that was only his ranch. There were plenty more animals in the farming district as a whole. There were just so many animals to work with alongside the planting, the watering, and the harvesting he had to get done.

The work would have been too much for one man, but it needed to be done for the sake of providing enough resources for Castanet and traded goods for Hazelwood. Fortunately, he had a few farm hands to lighten the load. Nine of the ten of them were those who had washed up on Castanet's shores. After the nukes fell, some people were stuck traveling abroad on boats and planes. Stranded, many of them lingered about the radiated waters with nowhere to go and no chance of getting home, assuming there was a home left to return to. Others left their dead or self-destructing homes in search of a safer place. They were welcomed at Castanet, so long as they were productive and behaved. The island's population doubled from these additions alone. The tenth worker on Kasey's ranch was Carlos, Kasey's appointed overseer, who had come from the Hazelwood Correctional and Production Facility, or "The Haze", as people referred to it as. Normally, members of the Haze were not allowed on Castanet, but Carlos was the exception to the rule. Because he had grown up on a farm back in the southern United States, his experience was invaluable. Plus, his imprisoning crime was selling marijuana; not something that people worried about on the island in those days.

For the time being, all Kasey did was brush the animals. Usually, that was Molly's job, given how easy it was and how much she detested farm work. However, she had slept in and he didn't wake her.

Too easy on her, he thought to himself. But he was up at that early hour anyway. He always woke at 6 A.M., no matter how little sleep he got the night before. It was a habit that he had developed over the years and he was glad that he had. It made his job a lot easier that he didn't sleep in. Once the animals were cleaned up, it would only be a matter of time before they would wake up and need to be milked. Their food had already been taken care of too. Molly hated farm work, but she was very good at building and inventing things. Putting her skills to use, she had designed hay chutes above the trowels that connected to the silo, easing the burden of feeding every cow, goat, and sheep individually. It was pretty ingenious of her and he provided her with monetary compensation for any of her useful inventions, not that that made her feel much better. Other than that, Kasey gave her the easiest jobs there were and would also compensate her for cooking meals for the other farmhands and himself. That role seemed a bit domestic, but she enjoyed cooking. Given how miserable she was all the time, he'd do what he could to help.

He looked at his old sports watch. 7:00 AM. Time for breakfast before the hardest part of the day. He left the barn and returned to the house. The kitchen was deserted, dirty plates filling the sink. The farmhands had their own dwelling on the property, but a kitchen hadn't been built for them yet, so Kasey didn't mind sharing his, though he did charge them for any of his food that they used. They usually had breakfast in the morning at about 6:30 AM and would clear out by seven. There were still a few scrambled eggs sitting near the stove, but he was more concerned with something else.

Did somebody make coffee? he thought to himself. Sure enough, there was a semi-fresh pot sitting out. A note was sitting next to it.

Hello, love. I made you some coffee before I left. I hope that nobody drinks it all before you get to it. I know you said you were spending the evening with Gill, but come by the bar afterward and I'll make it worth your while.

- Selena

"Aw, that was sweet of her," he murmured to himself, smiling. On the bottom of the note, somebody had scribbled in a little stick figure barfing. Selena wouldn't have liked that, but he chuckled. He had come to expect that sort of thing from his staff. And while half of the coffee had already been taken, he had no problem drinking the rest. Anything to nullify the mild hangover he had.

"Kasey!"

Ugh, not so loud. He lazily turned around to see his sister was walking up to him. As per usual, she looked tired and irritated. As he studied her face, he could see a visible twitch under her left eye and that her hair was a mess. What's wrong this time?

"Kasey," she started to say in evident frustration, "what is this?" She held out her brush, practically pushing it into his face.

Is this a trick question? "It's your hairbrush. What do I win?" He took a sip of the coffee that he had poured. It wasn't as warm as he would have liked. Unfortunately, not only had the coffee cooled, but Molly had not yet done so.

"Yes, it's my hairbrush!" she affirmed, turning it in her hands so he could see the bristles. "And do you see what's in it?"

"Hair?" Suddenly, he realized where this was going. This again? Really?

"Red hair!" He could see that. The red hair in the brush was obviously a different color from Molly's brunette locks. She slammed the brush against the kitchen counter and her angry face now had a similar hue of red as Selena's hair. "I told you before, I don't want her using my stuff!"

He sighed a heavy sigh, drinking more of his coffee. "Can we do this when my head doesn't hurt?" But it was as if she didn't hear him.

"Kasey!"

"Okay, look, I told her before that you don't like her using your stuff, but I can't help it if she does or not." Selena got up when he did, but he had to go out and start his morning work, leaving her in the house alone to shower, dress, and leave.

"Well, it obviously didn't work," she growled.

"Then I don't know what you want me to do. If you want to tell her, maybe-" He stopped mid-sentence to touch his aching head. "I don't get what the big deal is. It's just hair! You can pick it out."

"I shouldn't have to!" Molly shouted back with no concern for his hangover. "And besides, it's the principle of the thing! You just let her in and she acts like she owns everything she touches. I'm sick of it!"

"Oh come on, you act like you have it so bad here." He put his cup down and turned to face her, though he was still slumped. He was too tired to lecture her back, but he was going to damn well try. "You slept in, but I didn't mention it. I give you the easiest jobs and I let you trade those jobs in for building stuff that we need, which you actually enjoy, but you still complain. I have no idea what you want from me, Molls, because I'm trying."

"Trying!? Try- Urgh!" She clenched her fist tightly and held it against her face like she was trying to forcibly hold her anger inside. She started taking slow breaths and the color of her face lost its red hue. Through strained words, she finally spoke again. "Look… You know I appreciate everything you've done."

"Molls, we're family," Kasey reminded, touching her shoulder, but she pushed his hand away. She wasn't feeling that much better.

"And Kasey, I get that this is your house and your ranch," she continued, now sounding drained from her original outburst. "You can do whatever you want. If you want to sleep with girls like Selena, I'm not going to do anything more than roll my eyes. I just want to have a few things that are mine, you know? Hell, even if she pulled her hair out of the brush afterward, I'd feel better. I mean, even the illusion that I own something would be nice…"

Kasey sighed. He hated seeing his sister upset all the time, though he was surprised he hadn't been desensitized to her complaints by then. "Okay, I'll talk to her again, alright Molls?"

"Okay, thanks." She didn't look too sure of him though. She knew already that things probably wouldn't change, even if Kasey asked.

"So, I got most of the brushing done. Just find something to do, I guess. Watering, cleaning the coop, I don't know. Ask Carlos."

"You say my name, boss?" A tan-skinned man had entered the kitchen. Carlos, Kasey's appointed overseer, entered the room. He was already sweating from the early morning sun and he brought that smell with. He was a bit taller than Kasey and a bit older too, closer to Molly's age, and with his shaved head, hardened face, and tattooed arms, he looked like a scary individual. But Kasey knew that he was a decent, hardworking, knowledgeable guy and that was all he cared about.

"Yeah, just saying how well you've done this week." He gave Molly a pat on the shoulder and she started walking to the door. "Hey, Molls?"

"Yeah?" she asked, wearily.

"You said this is my ranch. It can be yours too."

She looked at him for a few seconds before frowning, shaking her head, and leaving.

"Did I interrupt something?" Carlos asked as he stepped further into the kitchen.

"Nah, same old same old with her. You know how it is." He took another sip from his mug.

"Yeah, I can tell. You look tired already," he chuckled. "She drain you that much?"

"No, I didn't get much sleep and I'm a bit hungover." He looked over at the scrambled eggs that had gone cold. "I'll be out in a minute after I eat. Remind me, we don't have anything huge today, no?"

"Just plowing a few new rows, but yeah, pretty typical. Should be an easy day."

"Good, good, let's hope so." Too bad that on a ranch, easy was still strenuous.

The day was pleasantly sunny, but not too scorching. Kasey took a quick break from plowing a new row to look over his domain. Already, some of his vegetables were sprouting, thanks to the care they were given. In the distance, he could see his cattle grazing, being watched over by Boomer, his loyal sheepdog. Despite the nice weather, everybody was sweating from the amount of outside work they had been doing. Kasey himself was stripped down to one of his old pair of jeans, a grey tank top, and a long piece of cloth that he had wrapped around his left bicep. He grinned with pride and admiration when looking over his successful enterprise.

Sinatra Ranch had made the transition from a small, family farm to a profitable machine within the past two years. After the nukes fell, Hamilton sold the surrounding land to Kasey at dirt cheap prices, telling him that they needed him to grow more food for the sake of survival. He now had an entire field devoted to growing fodder for the animals which doubled as a grazing ground for them. Another plot north of his house was devoted to growing fruit trees, although his miniature orchard was not old enough to produce much fruit. The rest of his land was devoted to growing crops, though he was a bit upset by what he was growing in bulk alongside the usual crops: coffee beans and tobacco. It seemed as though everybody was willing to pay good money for coffee since no outside supplier existed. As for the tobacco, not many people on Castanet smoked the stuff, but a lot of the people living at The Haze did, and they were willing to put a high trade value on the stuff, despite it not having the nicotine many of them craved. At the end of the day, money was money, but Kasey never thought that tobacco would be the crop to make him successful. The only problem was that there were so many crops to water by hand. He had asked Molly if she and Phoebe could put their heads together and put together some sort of sprinkler system, but he didn't know if they were doing that or not.

His animal revenue had increased as well. With the number of workers he had, he was able to take care of many more animals, essentially making a lot more money. But because he didn't have the biggest ranch or farm on the island, most of the food he grew and raised would end up going into storage or traded for the materials that were available in Hazelwood. Whatever worked for the island, he figured. He had come a long way from being a clumsy farmer with a harvest sprite screaming instructions into his ear.

He looked at his watch to see that it was 4:30. Quitting time. It wasn't his night to herd the animals back inside for the evening and milk them again and the watering was covered. Thanks to the number of employees he had, it was easy to call it a night. Hell, he even was able to take Sundays off, thanks to his employee count. That wasn't something he could do before. Everybody else had days off too, but he doubted they'd appreciate it as he did after working seven days a week like he used to.

After checking to make sure that he was good to go, he went back inside to finally take that well-deserved shower, have a light bite to eat, and change into some decent clothes. When he saw that it was 5:00, something reminded him of his shirt that Selena ripped the buttons off of. Better bring that too. After spending a few minutes finding where all the buttons had rolled the night before, he was ready to go when he felt something scratching at his ankles.

"Hey, Ronnie, where have you been?" He knelt down to give the little, brown weasel a scratch behind the ears, which his pet happily accepted. A few weeks after that fateful day, he found the young weasel in Fugue Forest, abandoned by his parents. He ended up bringing him home and taking care of him, but when it was time to release him back into the wild, the young weasel didn't want to leave. Since he got along with Boomer so well, Kasey decided to keep Ronnie.

Ronnie. He remembered the conversation he had with Molly when they were naming him.

"How about Ron?" she had asked him.

"Ron?"

"Ron, you know, as in Ronald Weasel!... Get it?"

"… That's really stupid."

But since the weasel managed to do the impossible in perking his sister up when she felt incredibly low, he decided to compromise on the name "Ronnie."

"Here, you can come with me." He found the weasel's leash next to the door and the two left for Harmonica Town.

The walk to town wasn't very long, especially with the weasel eagerly pulling on the leash. The bustle of town had died down in the late afternoon. With the increase in the town's population, there were a few more people on the streets, though not by much. In many ways, very little had changed, other than the fact that people seemed to be more stressed with the unknown. That was why stress relief was vital, so everybody would stay sane.

"Beautiful afternoon, Mr. Mayor!" Kasey greeted with a quick wave as he passed the portly Hamilton The old mayor was wearing one of his trademark blue suits and had his gray hair styled in an upward pointed curl. When Kasey first saw the man, he thought he looked like somebody straight out of Whoville, but he didn't know if most of the original islanders would have understood that reference, so he never made mention of it.

"Yes, indeed," the mayor nodded, waving back in a way that was almost frantically happy. "Don't tire yourself out in this heat!"

This is nothing compared to July and August. Still, he nodded politely but didn't stay to chat, since his pet weasel wouldn't stop pulling on his leash. It was like he knew where Kasey had planned to go. Finally, they reached Sonata Tailoring. The little shop looked adorable from the outside, sitting on the corner of the ocean-side street, sort of like a giant wafer, though after a long day of work, everything reminded the young rancher of food. Though the shop had closed, he had visited enough to feel comfortable with just walking in. The inside of the shop was filled with clothes, and in the corner was the blue-haired tailor was busy with her sewing machine. She didn't even see him come in.

"Candace!" he greeted enthusiastically. She hadn't seen him come in, so his booming voice startled her.

"Oh, K-Kasey." It wasn't the first time he had startled her like this, but her reaction remained unchanged, her cheeks pinkening after being startled. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't see you c-come in."

"It's alright, I just wanted to drop in and say hi." With that, he leaned forward, planting his elbow on the table she was working at and his chin in his palm. "And might I say, you look absolutely lovely today."

"Oh Kasey, you're…" She covered the part of her face that wasn't already covered by her bangs with her hands. She obviously was uncomfortable with the compliment, and Kasey knew that it was time to back off, but before he could, he was reprimanded.

"Kasey, quit harassing my sister!"

Before Kasey could tell what was going on, Luna seemingly appeared out of nowhere, glaring holes into his face with her angry, sapphire eyes. She was wearing one of her favorite dresses: a slightly off-color white dress with pink ribbons that matched the flower barrettes in her pink, pigtailed hair. She looked cute, but her appearance didn't match her biting personality at all.

"What? I was just saying hi-"

"Sure you were, come on!" She gripped Kasey's wrist and with surprising strength for somebody her size, she dragged him out of the shop and into the living area of the building (an amazing feat for a girl who wasn't even five feet tall). As usual, the living room and kitchen were clean with the faint smell of soap in the air.

"It's good to see you," she said, her voice calming significantly.

Kasey smiled. "Thanks, Luna. I-"

"I was talking to Ronnie," she bluntly interrupted as she reached down to scoop up the weasel. The pet squirmed for a few seconds before comfortably adjusting himself to her grasp. Luna looked back up at Kasey and frowned again. "Why do you have to do that?"

"Do what?" he asked, playing innocent.

"You know what," she snapped. "Making Candace uncomfortable like that. You know how she is."

He sighed. "You always say that she needs to be more social. I thought a little flattery-"

"You thought wrong." She put Ronnie back on the ground, letting him explore the house, before meeting his gaze again, that time, a small smile making its way onto her face. The two of them loved the banter they shared and she especially loved giving him the business. "You are such an idiot sometimes, Kasey. It's amazing that you can function at all."

"Hey, I started a ranch and rang those bells, didn't I? I like to think that I'm more than capable."

"Dumb luck," she answered, almost automatically. "What are you doing here anyway? We're not supposed to meet with Gill for another twenty minutes or so. You know how punctual he is."

"What, I'm not allowed to get someone on one time with you now?" he jested, crossing his arms as if he was offended.

"Of course you can, but you've brought me one of your shirts, so I assume you're here for something else," she pointed out, motioning to his button-down.

"Fair enough." He held the shirt out for her. "Buttons. A few of them came off last night, so-"

"Again?" She took the shirt from him, meticulously inspecting each of the buttons and their respective holes. "Three buttons and two tears. Easy fix." She gave him the look; that sassy "are you serious?" look. "You know that you could probably do this yourself, right? You don't need to waste my time with this sort of thing."

"What, you don't want to see me? Or do you not want my money?" Kasey teased, but she kept giving him that look. "Besides, I can't sew. You know that."

"This isn't rocket science, you know," she replied, free hand on her hip. "It's just some buttons and tears. You could do this if you weren't a lazy bum."

"Lazy? You know what I do for a living, right? Besides..." He decided to piss her off even more, just for fun. "I'd rather pay somebody with delicate, girl fingers to do it for me. Ten times easier."

He lost a small bit of wind when she punched him in the stomach. She was so small that it didn't hurt all that much, but it still stung. He laughed it off, though, especially when he saw her smiling.

"Fine, pig," she chuckled to herself. She shook her head and walked over one of the sewing tables. Kasey watched her over his shoulder, amazed at how nimble her fingers were as she stitched the one tear together faster than he ever could if he had bothered to learn how she did it. "You know, I am glad you came by."

"Another boring day?" Kasey guessed. He was right.

"Yeah. Work jeans, work shirt, work shirt, work jeans, ugly work jacket..." Luna shook her head as she announced the day's orders in the order she completed them. "We did get a dress order, but of course, Grandma gave it to Candace. She always gives the good stuff to Candace." A long sigh followed. She fixed one of the buttons and began the other. "I miss when people wanted clothes for something other than work."

"Yeah, well I miss the days when the main product of my farm wasn't something that people smoked." He shrugged. "Whatever, money's money, right?"

"Maybe if you lack passion. I know I'm better than this. I know what we do is important, but I hate this so much." She had finished her work and handed it over to Kasey. "10 g."

"Done." He handed her a ten-piece, which was worth very little, though it was still money he could have saved if he learned to sew.

"You know, if you ever want to learn how to sew basic stuff like this, I'll teach you. You could definitely pick it up," she offered, no teasing in her tone this time.

"Thanks." He probably wouldn't take her up on that offer though. Luna gave him the business all the time, but he knew she liked his appreciation. Anything to make her feel useful when her work bored her so much.

"Or maybe, you should stop letting Serena abuse your clothes," Luna snarked, crossing her arms and raising her eyebrow.

"What?" He knew his face already gave away the truth, but he kept playing dumb. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Kasey, you pass my house every time on your way home from the bar. I could hear the two of you last night. You get really loud when you drink, you know. Nobody around here gets a full night's sleep when you're drinking."

"Okay, you caught me," he admitted with a chuckle, holding his hands up. "But that doesn't prove she did it."

"Every time you come in with a dress shirt to be mended, it's following you and Selena talking way too loud on your way home. I highly doubt that correlation is insignificant," his friend answered, arms still crossed.

Kasey shrugged, smiling with false innocence. "What can I say? We like it rough."

"Gross, too much information," Luna said, adding a fake gag for emphasis. "But hey, if that means you'll be bringing me more clothes to mend, I guess it's good for business."

The silence that followed as defining. Kasey wasn't exactly sure what could possibly be going through Luna's head as she was looking out the window. It was as if she was entranced by the storms in the distance. Not as if those storms were anything new. They had been there for almost two years.

"You know, I really think you should try giving Selena another chance," Kasey suggested softly. "I'm not saying you need to be besties with her or anything, but you two have more in common than you think."

"Yeah, sure Kasey, I'll think about it," Luna answered, unconvincingly. But she did make eye contact with him and smiled before changing the topic. "Do you want to get something to eat before movie night?"

"Nah, we don't have time. I was just gonna have tea tonight…" His eyes widened as he sniffed the air, smelling something delicious. "Unless you baked cookies. Is that chocolate I smell?" Chocolate was a rarity on Castanet those days. He still grew cocoa beans on his farm, but because it wasn't an essential product, the farms grew very little, meaning that the prices were high and the taste was precious. People seemed to be more concerned with essential food, coffee, alcohol, and if you lived in The Haze, tobacco.

"I figured you'd want them," Luna said, smiling. "It's the last bit of chocolate I have right now, so you better have a few."

"Any special occasion?"

"No, just felt like it," she answered, smiling warmly. "I know you like my baking."

"I do…" Almost enough to indenture him to servitude over the desserts she baked. Without thinking, he gave her a tight hug.

"Hey, you mind not breaking my spine?" Luna gasped, laughing some.

"What's the magic word?" he asked, laughing.

"Please! Please don't kill me, you ass!"

"Fine, fine!" He let go, feeling elated. For the past twenty-four hours, he felt so many waves of emotion, so he just had to cherish the moments like those when he almost forgot that he lived on one of the few places on earth that didn't suck.

The three of them sat around the elegant, mahogany table, each with a cup of herbal tea and a tiny dish of cookies in front of them. It wasn't a part of movie night or anything, but tea time, whether it be morning, afternoon, or evening, was something that Gill and Luna had engaged in long before Kasey joined them. Before the world ended, it was something that they did at least once per week when they wanted to catch up. Following the nukes, it was an attempt to maintain some sort of normalcy. It was a pretty easy activity. All one needed were herbs and hot water, and since Gill dabbled in herbology, he always had great flavors to offer… unless one didn't have a taste for tea.

Kasey was one of those people. Tea was okay but super dull, and the only things he really enjoyed drinking were coffee, alcohol, and water in between. But for Gill and Luna, he was happy to partake. Plus, Luna's cookies made everything sweeter. Meanwhile, Ronnie was sleeping near the fireplace. Even though no fire was burning in the summer, he slept next to fireplaces out of habit, just in case somebody were to light a fire.

"And that was the extent of my week, really," Gill sighed, following a brief explanation of his desk work at the mayor's office. "Honestly, things have been pretty calm as of late. I guess that's a good thing."

"Never a good sign," Kasey said, scarfing down one of Luna's cookies and smiling as the chocolate met his tongue. "Whenever things get too quiet, that's when things get worse, right?"

"Not true," Gill replied, shaking his head. "When my grandfather was mayor, this town experienced an economic boom that lasted nearly twenty years. Sometimes, good things last."

"Let's hope so. My home is right on the water. If anybody breaches the storm, I'm the first to go," Luna said, half-joking, but slightly pale as she reminded herself of that small chance.

"Nothing breaches the storm. Not unscathed, at least," Gill reminded her. "Besides, we have lookouts on the docks and there hasn't been an intruder-related death yet. As long as we give Wizard and Witch what they want, we'll be safe."

"I don't trust that," Luna replied, sipping her tea. "I guess I trust Wizard. He's quiet and doesn't cause problems. That witch though-"

"She's nice. Kind of a bitch, but nice overall," Kasey answered. He didn't go into details, but he was actually low-key friends with Witch. She wasn't always nice and could be a bit spiteful, but she was ultimately kind to the few people she liked… though her support of the island wasn't out of any fondness for the humans who lived there.

"Honestly, it doesn't surprise me at all to hear you say that," Luna sighed. "Of course you're friends with the creepy witch who lives in the woods."

"I'm friends with everybody," Kasey laughed with a shrug. "You ever consider trying that? Kindness and-"

"Shut up!" Luna shouted, throwing a cookie at Kasey's face, only for him to snatch it right out of the air.

"Don't mind if I do," he chuckled, scarfing that one down too.

"Manners," Gill said sternly, narrowing his eyes at both of his guests. "If I wanted this kind of behavior, I would have invited Luke."

"He deserved it…" Luna mumbled, though she couldn't hide her grin.

"What about you, Kasey? We didn't have much time to talk this week," Gill continued. "How is your sister?"

"Ranch is fine. Work is monotonous. My sister… crazy. As always." That wasn't nice, but he had been saying it so much that Gill and Luna expected it of him. "Seriously, no matter what I do, she's never happy." Though really, she had always been uptight like that. "How do you make somebody who's always complaining NOT do that? You know I've tried everything."

"She probably needs to get laid," Luna suggested in deadpan.

"You know, sex is great, but I'm pretty sure that's not gonna solve the problem," Kasey snickered. He looked over to see that Gill had just got done rolling his eyes at such a suggestion.

"I never said it would solve the problem," Luna laughed. "Just that it might help, since she's such a sourpuss. I mean, if you've tried everything else, maybe she-"

"Yeah, good luck finding anybody on this island who'd be willing to do that." Kasey struggled to think of anybody who'd be willing to put up with his sister's baggage, even just for one night. Plus, he didn't think she was capable a one night stand. Sleeping with her was probably the gateway to a bigger commitment, given how needy she was.

"What about one of your farmhands?" Luna suggested. "That Carlos guy is single, right? He's pretty-"

"Not her type," Kasey cut her off. Molly didn't care for Carlos, in fact, she didn't care for anybody except Phoebe and Gill.

"Well, that's just my suggestion until you can think of something better" Luna finished with a shrug.

"Funny enough, that was Selena's suggestion too," Kasey said, teasing Luna with a cocky grin. "Told you that you two are more alike than you think."

"Selena said that too?" Her face sickened. "I take it back. It's a horrible idea. Forget I said anything."

"Dismissing this lovely idea that you two are discussing, I agree with Kasey that his sister's problems run far deeper than carnal pleasures," Gill stated, seemingly unphased by the subject that he typically avoided. "Kasey, following the destruction of Earth, what's the difference between you and your sister?"

"Well, isn't it obvious?" Kasey asked. "She's still smarter than me, but she's miserable to be around… Then again, she's always been like that, but it's worse these days."

"And why is that?" Gill asked. "What makes her worse to be around?"

"Our…" He shook his head. "Her family is gone and she's stuck on a ranch when she'd rather be anywhere else."

"And you love that ranch," Gill stated. "You love it here too, and despite the changes we've made, you still love living in Castanet, correct?"

"You're right," Kasey agreed. "I never wanted to leave."

"There you have it," Gill answered. "You love it here. She doesn't. Do you really think that a brilliant woman with an inventive mind and an electrical engineering degree wants to be trapped in a place like this?"

"Hey, I try to get her involved in stuff like that," Kasey protested. "She and Phoebe-"

"I'm sure you've tried, but there is only so much you can do. What ultimately leads to a person feeling happy and fulfilled?" Gill questioned.

Kasey was trying to find the right word, but Luna beat him to it.

"Purpose."

"That's right," Gill agreed, nodding. "Molly lacks purpose, and the grief she feels over the loss of her loved ones doesn't help either. We can do what we can to help, but ultimately, she'll have to find her own way as we have. Personally, I take pride in my work and knowing that I am benefiting Castanet. It's not easy, but it gives me purpose."

"Right." Kasey didn't know why he hadn't seen it sooner. Maybe it was because he "lacked introspection" as Gill had once put it. But maybe that was why he was so optimistic. He had always been easy to please and maybe that was what helped him. Even after the end of the world, he had everything he needed and wanted on Castanet.

"Right…" Luna agreed, her voice trailing as she looked off to the side.

"Right," Gill said himself. "Now, it's Kasey's turn to pick the movie tonight, so-"

"Crap, really?" Luna asked, snapping back to attention with disappointment. "You pick the worst stuff."

"Or you have zero taste," Kasey shot back, ready to catch another cookie if Luna decided to throw one at him. He was suddenly intent on picking something that he knew Luna would hate, just to irk her. It was the little things like that which gave him joy.

Gill was one of those people who only had one setting, and his setting was "serious". For as long as Kasey knew him, Gill never almost deviated from that state of mind. That wasn't to say that Gill couldn't have fun. That wasn't to say that he couldn't make a joke or be sarcastic. But even so, it was rare to ever see Gill out of his element when everything he did made him seem like the most uptight, no-nonsense person on the island, if not Earth (or what was left of Earth, at least.)

But there were a few exceptions. Despite is stiff demeanor, Gill had a fondness for science-fiction, especially the really cheesy stuff.

"It's an amusing genre. There really isn't much to say about it," he had told Kasey years before.

Kasey had found out about Gill's guilty pleasure not long after he arrived at Castanet. One day when he was visiting the mayor's son, Kasey uncovered the man's collection of movies and books he had hidden under his bed after a brief "investigation" (but really, he was just snooping.) At first, Gill was both embarrassed and furious at Kasey's discover, but his tone quickly changed when he found out that Kasey wasn't judging him for it. In fact, Kasey had something to share: dumb movies of his own.

One of the few possessions that Kasey brought with him from the mainland was his laptop. He didn't have much money at the time, so for entertainment, he had a friend illegally download as many movies as he could onto his hard drive and a few external drives. He was thankful he brought it with him to the island, given the limitations to television and internet at Castanet at the time, and he was even more thankful for it following the end of the world, as it was a limitless source of entertainment… that was until his laptop would eventually stop working. With luck, maybe someday they would be able to open trade with a bigger, high-tech community and he could get his files onto a newer laptop, but he realized how unlikely that was. So, he only used it to watch movies as sparingly as possible. He kept it at Gill's house and its existence was only known to a few of their friends. After all, if everybody else knew of the laptop and its absurd number of movies, everybody else would want to watch it. And if everybody else wanted to watch it, the laptop would wear out even quicker and all of its contents would be lost. So, they kept it a secret. It was selfish, yes, but the way Kasey saw it, it was his property (technically, stolen property, but who really cared about stolen movies in the current state of the world), so he could do with his property as he pleased. Besides, for all he knew, his laptop could have been one of the last remaining bastions of culture. It was worth preserving just in case he had the opportunity to transfer the movies to another format.

The laptop was connected to the TV mounted on the wall in the den while Kasey (with Ronnie sleeping on his lap), Gill, and Luna watched from the couch, sharing a bowl of lightly seasoned popcorn. Like the movies, popcorn was also a rare commodity, as the corn grown specifically for popcorn was produced on the island, but only in short supply. They only ate it on movie night and in small amounts. It was one of those things Kasey would have taken for granted long ago. Before everything changed, snacking on popcorn and watching a movie were easily accomplished activities. How things had changed, that movie night was considered a luxury.

"This movie makes no sense," Luna said, breaking the silence among the trio.

"What? I… I think it's pretty straight forward," Kasey answered, not taking his eyes off the old black and white film he had picked. It was an obscure movie, but that was why he picked it.

"No, it's…" She sighed, breathing in before her rant. "So, this guy's girlfriend gets killed, so he puts her head in a tray and decides to keep her alive, even though she doesn't want to be kept alive. And there's a disfigured monster living in the closet who she's telepathically linked to because- Gill, are you even following this?"

"Vaguely," Gill replied in a soft voice. Kasey looked over to see a small smile on Gill's face, but Luna seemed far less amused.

"Seriously, you have good movies on your laptop, but we're watching this. Why this? Why do you guys even like movies like this? What's the point?"

"I don't know. Gill, there's more to this movie than dumb sci-fi, right?" Kasey asked, looking for some sort of support against Luna's attack.

"Well, I suppose there is something here," Gill admitted. "There's probably some commentary here on the dangers of playing God, as well as a message about how intelligent people driven to irrationality by emotion can make horrendous and cruel decisions…" The serious tone Gill had taken was no predictor for what he said next, as he smiled wider than usual. "But Luna's right; it's just a movie. And a poorly written one at that."

"Thank you!" Luna exclaimed, throwing her hands up and smugly grinning at Kasey. "Looks like I'm right."

"Damn it, Gill! You're supposed to take my side on this shit," Kasey laughed, but he'd get over it. At the end of the day, they were having a good time. Even Luna, despite her complaints. Besides, as long as she sat through the current movie, she'd get to pick the next one. Knowing her, she'd also pick a romcom. Not nearly as fun. But he'd have fun anyway. He always had good movie nights with them. Usually just them. Molly would sometimes come, but unless it was Harry Potter or something equally fantasy-themed, she wasn't interested and she killed the mood with her negativity. And Selena… not only was Selena not into movies to begin with, but it was always awkward and silent when she was around Luna. He would invite her, but she wouldn't come anymore. And while he'd love for her to be around, maybe it was for the best. Three was the right-sized crowd.

As that thought crossed his mind, Kasey heard a noise from the other room. If he had to guess, it was either Gill's cat or his father, though likely the latter. Nothing Hamilton did was all that subtle.

"Oh… I thought he was going to be home later," Gill commented, sounding slightly distressed.

"Should we turn down the volume?" Kasey asked. "Maybe if he wants to sleep-"

"Gill! Are you still-" Hamilton had entered the den, finding the three of them there. The mayor looked a little confused. Kasey wasn't sure why; it wasn't as if he had never seen a movie night before.

"Hey, Mister Mayor," Kasey greeted, though he was seemingly ignored.

"Gill…" the Mayor said, his face falling. Even after the end of the world, it was rare to see the mayor looking less than go-lucky.

"Father… I figured you'd be out later…" Gill said, almost sounding disappointed.

"Gill, will you come to the kitchen for a moment?" the mayor asked.

"Can it wait?" Gill asked.

"No. Now," the mayor implored sternly.

"Fine… Excuse me, you two." Without delaying any longer, Gill stood up and left the room, leaving Kasey and Luns to watch the B-movie without him.

"That… that was weird," Kasey said, looking at the doorway Gill exited through. What was so important that Hamilton needed to drag Gill away from the middle of the movie? "What do you think that was about?"

"Who knows. Mayor stuff?"Luna guessed, shrugging. "He's lucky, getting to skip this movie for a few minutes."

"Right…" Kasey would have accepted Luna's answer, had it not been for the sound of voices coming from the other room. They were hushed and if Kasey hadn't already been curious, he probably wouldn't have heard them at all.

No, it's none of my business. Kasey knew Gill would scold him for snooping around in his business again, but he couldn't help himself. His hunch was that this was probably something serious and he wanted to see what it was all about.

"Hey, I'm going to the bathroom. Can you watch Ronnie for me?" he whispered, picking up the sleeping weasel and placing him on Luna's lap.

"Sure, but don't ask me to tell you what happens in this movie, because I've already tuned out," Luna whispered, taking another handful of popcorn with one hand while stroking Ronnie's fur with the other.

"Fair enough. Your loss," Kasey chuckled, standing up and leaving the room. Into the main room, he kept going until he reached the doorway of the kitchen where he stopped just shy of being in sight.

"And I'm telling you, it's a non-issue," Gill said in a low voice.

"Do you think this behavior is becoming of a leader of this town?" Hamilton asked, his voice surprisingly harsh. Kasey almost doubted what he had heard. Over the past two years, he had seen the mayor display a far more serious demeanor mixed in with the optimism. Hearing the mayor sound angry about something? It was out of character.

"What, watching a movie with friends is so unbecoming? Would it be better if I got sloppy at the bar once a week like-"

"Hold your tongue! I'm still your father."

"I've done everything that was expected of me in the office this week, Gill shot back.I've made public appearances every evening. What more do I need to do to appease your paranoia? Nobody actually cares."

"Maybe not if you were an ordinary citizen, but how do you think the rest of town would react if they were to find out that you were hoarding countless movies on a hard drive? Or what if they were to take you less seriously if they knew about the kinds of things you do behind closed doors? This may not have mattered two years ago, but it matters now. The last thing we need is to lose our connection with the townsfolk!"

"You are delusional," Gill spat.

"Am I?" Hamilton asked, sounding offended. "What if something happens to me and you need to work in my stead? If people see weakness or untrustworthiness, they will turn on you. Turn on us. You know Cain has been gunning for this job for years and we live in dire times. One wrong move and control falls into the wrong hands. Or worse, Hazelwood… we have been walking a fine line with them for some time now. If we aren't cautious-"

"I'm always cautious. More so than you have ever been. I've been carrying your time in office for years now, so if anybody knew that, it would be-"

"Enough! Have you forgotten respect?"

There was a long silence if Kasey had to guess, they were probably glaring at each other, even though he couldn't imagine Hamilton holding such an expression for even a second.

"I will not make a big deal of this tonight." Hamilton continued, "only because we don't need your friends gossiping about us. But you had best think about how your actions may affect us."

"Right…" Gill replied, sounding exhausted.

Kasey knew he had to bail before he was caught spying, so quickly, he tiptoed away back to the den. The movie was still playing and Luna had fallen asleep, Ronnie still on her lap. He was feeling tired himself, but he didn't need to go just yet. Sundays were his day off, meaning Carlos would oversee the ranch for the day. He planned on spending it with Selena. If he was lucky, they could kick off his day off in a few hours if he could catch her after her shift.

Even though he was tired, another thing keeping him awake and alert was what he'd just heard. What were Gill and Hamilton even talking about? Did Hamilton think that Gill having a movie night would somehow hurt them in the office? It was silly to consider in Kasey's opinion, but then again, he didn't play the political game. But he was smart enough to know that the while their ecosystem was pretty stable, who knew what could tilt it. For that reason, he would keep what he had heard to himself. He hated gossip; it had gotten him in trouble before and he knew that stirring the pot had its consequences.

"Did I miss anything?" Gill asked as he returned to the room, carrying a glass of water with him.

"No, not much. Like you said, it's just a dumb movie, right?" he asked, forcing a very fake sounding chuckle. He took a moment to analyze Gill's face. If Hamilton had made Gill upset, Gill was very good at hiding it. No matter how he was feeling, Gill was almost always stone-faced, save the occasional smile. "Everything okay with the mayor?"

"Hmm? Yes, nothing but a concern about taxes. Nothing to concern yourself with."

Had Kasey not listened in, he would never have guessed that Gill was lying. So, he nodded and they continued to watch the movie in silence. He had no idea what was happening. And he wouldn't for a long time. And when he finally did know what was going on, he'd feel just as powerless as he did in his current ignorance.