Chapter Six:

Hope:

Over the next few weeks, as Dwight and I got closer, so did Mila and Duke. I worried about that, because I knew that Mila wasn't going to stay in Haven. But I didn't have too much time to worry about Duke's relationship with my cousin. I had my own issues to worry about.

While the spirits of Haven as a whole had chosen to let me be, there was one that I couldn't shake. Simon Crocker wouldn't leave my dreams alone. He would come after me as I slept, hurting me in every way he possibly could. Some nights, Dwight would wake me because I would start whimpering in my sleep. Other nights, when I was home alone, I'd wake with cold sweats in the middle of the night, afraid to go back to sleep.

Still there were other nights where others would stop Simon in my dreams. It was there I met my grandfather, Roy, who occasionally stopped Simon from attacking me and at least once, Jennifer, the woman Duke loved and lost, stopped him at risk to herself. After the second time she'd saved me, I realized that Simon started hurting Jennifer, telling her that she wasn't good enough for a Crocker because she wasn't even human. I got her away from him, but he grabbed me again. I told Jennifer to go haunt Duke's boat because as a spirit, Simon couldn't get onto the boat, but I'd open it briefly for her to get on. She reluctantly left.

"I'll get to that thing and keep her away from my children," Simon growled at me as he gripped my wrists tighter.

"Neither Duke nor myself consider you our father. I never knew you and Duke always hated you," I said to him.

He slapped me in the face harder than he had during the ritual.

"I'm not your father? Is that what you think?" he asked, clearly getting more agitated and losing control of himself by the second. "Then there are no lines that I can't cross with you, now are there?"

He looked at me with a glint in his eyes and I was more scared of Simon than I'd ever been. In my dream, Simon did the one thing that I had never experienced before… he raped me. I couldn't process what was going on. Even though I denied the truth of it, he was technically my father, and he was raping me. Suddenly, he was pulled away from me.

"Get out of here, Hope," the man I recognized from the visions the spirts gave me as Wade said. "NOW, HOPE! I'M NOT SURE HOW LONG I CAN KEEP CONTROL OF MYSELF AND STOP HIM TOO!"

Suddenly, I was awake and in my room. I never wanted to sleep again.

Duke:

Things with Mila and I were going pretty good, but I knew they wouldn't last, so I wouldn't let myself get attached. One morning, I woke in the middle of the night, feeling a cold chill on the Cape Rouge. Getting out of bed, I started walking around the boat trying to figure out what was going on. After 15 minutes of searching but finding nothing, I got back into bed. Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off, like someone was watching me. In the morning, as I sat down to breakfast with Mila, I told her about the experience.

"There's a spirit on your boat, Duke," she said as nonchalantly as if she was saying she wanted her coffee spiked.

"What?" I asked in shock.

"A spirit. A scared one, by what I can feel, actually."

"Should I be worried?"

"Ask Hope. She would have had to let the spirit onto the boat for it to be here. Only she can give you anything else."

"Great," I said downing my coffee. "Do you mind…"

"If I ghost-sit while you go talk to my cousin? No. Go find out what's going on. Don't think I didn't notice you getting up and being kinda freaked out in the middle of the night."

I gave Mila a kiss.

"Thanks, Mila."

I left the Cape Rouge, getting into my truck to drive to Hope's. When I got there, I found her on the deck outside the apartment staring out over the water. She didn't even notice me at first.

"Hope?" I called to her, nudging her back to me.

She jumped out of her skin before she realized it was me and calmed down.

"Duke… Sorry, I didn't hear you come up the stairs," she said, trying to cover up her nerves.

"Hope… are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"Because you didn't even notice I was here for one. And you jumped when I tried to get your attention," I said looking at my sister closely, noticing she looked scared, haunted. "Have you been sleeping?"

Hope wouldn't answer or look at me.

"Hope? Have you been sleeping?"

Still, no answer. So I got down to her height in front of her. When I looked at her, she had tears in her eyes.

"Hope… what's wrong?"

"I'm not sleeping, Duke. Simon won't leave me alone. He keeps coming for me. The other spirits have left me alone since the ritual, but Simon says that I'm his and that doesn't apply to him."

"What has that bastard done to you?"

"It doesn't matter. But Roy, Wade, and even Jennifer have gotten me away from him on nights when Dwight wasn't with me to hear me whimpering in my sleep."

"How can he be stopped?"

"Right now? He can't. I would need ancient power to stop him. And, even though I'm recovered from the ritual, my magick isn't fully recovered enough to do that."

"So you don't sleep alone."

"I can't have Dwight stay over every night. He has his daughter to look after."

"So then come back to the Rouge."

"Sorry, but I don't want to know about the sex life my brother is having with my cousin," she said with a smile.

"Then McHugh…"

"Is not my personal bodyguard, contrary to popular belief, Duke."

"But…"

"I'll figure out how to deal with it," she said before changing the subject. "So what brings you over here so early, because it wasn't my bad dreams, Big Brother."

I let it go, knowing that she had closed the door on the conversation. She wouldn't go any further into the conversation, no matter how hard I tried. So I wouldn't try… I didn't want to upset her while she was already so shaken up. I gave in and decided to tell her why I was there.

"Mila sent me to talk to you," I started.

"Why? Is everything okay?"

"Actually, that's what we wanted to know, Hope. Last night I felt a cold chill on the Rouge, something I've never felt before. At breakfast I brought it up to Mila and she just nonchalantly tells me you let a ghost on my boat. Why would you do that? Especially without talking to me?"

Hope looked down at her hands for a minute before getting up and going into the apartment. I followed her inside.

"It's Jennifer, Duke," she said bluntly. "And I opened the barrier on your boat between this world and the spirit world to protect her. I didn't have time to tell you."

"Wait. Jennifer… my Jennifer? Jennifer Mason?"

"Yes, Duke. One and the same. I'm sorry. I wish I could have talked about it with you, especially since you and Mila have been in… well, whatever your relationship is, and this might make that awkward. But she was in trouble. I'm not sure if it was just Simon or what, but he definitely attacked her after she helped me. When I got her away, he said he'd find a way to get to that thing and keep her away from his kids," Hope answered.

"Simon did what?" I asked getting angry.

"He hurt her, Duke. I'm not sure of the extent, but she was scared and still tried to protect me. I wouldn't let her. I sent her to the Rouge, because Simon can't get onto the boat. I'm sorry, Duke. I just wanted to protect her considering she tried to protect me and I know how much she still means to you."

Hope was right. No matter what I tried to do to get over Jennifer, I wasn't sure I ever would. She pulled me back from the brink of losing myself to the Crocker Curse, showing me I was still a good man. When I lost her, I lost myself. Every day, my heart hurt for her and I was sure now that my sister saw through my façade.

"Can Simon get to her on the Rouge?"

"No," Hope started. "Not unless he possesses someone close to us to get onto the ship. I think it will take him a bit to get that specific detail… that he can't just possess anyone."

"What about her crossing over like most dead people?"

"I'm not sure what happens to her. You said she wasn't born here. I'm not sure what would happen to her spirit if I release her. I do know she seems to be holding onto you as much as you're holding onto her."

"Hope, you can't bring her back. It could kill you. Bringing me back nearly killed you and I wasn't dead and buried at sea for months."

"But I can tell how happy she makes you, Duke."

"So does having a little sister, Hope. I'd never forgive myself if you died to bring her back to me."

Hope started playing with her mother's talisman, a habit she'd picked up when she got lost in thought.

"Should I call Dwight? I don't just want to run on you, but I left Mila…"

"I'm okay, Duke. Go. I'm a big girl, remember?"

"It's hard to forget that, Hope. I never knew you as a kid," I said sadly.

I left her at her apartment, not sure that I should. But we did agree that we would give each other space when we asked for it. It wouldn't help me to argue with her more.

Dwight:

"Hey, McHugh," I said to my best friend as he came into my house. "What can I do ya for?"

"I wanted to talk to you, Dwight… About Delia."

"What about Lia?" I asked, worried he was going to tell me she was pregnant with a baby Crocker or something.

"You know you're my best friend, right, Dwight?"

He was stalling. I was getting the urge to hit him. I wasn't sure if I would hold myself together longer than he would, but one of us was gonna crack first. The question at this point was, would he have a few broken bones when it happened?

"What about it? What does that have to do with Delia?" I asked him warily.

"We started dating. After Hope woke up. I'm still not 100% sure how it happened, but it did. And I'm not gonna lie, Dwight, I like being with her," he said, and I pushed him against the wall by his throat.

"Careful what you say next, or else I may not be so careful with where my forearm slips."

"Dwight, relax! I'm not using her or anything like that! She's tried to move everything that fast, but I couldn't, not with your sister!"

"Are you honestly telling me you have not had sex with my twin sister?" I snarled at him.

"No, Dwight! I haven't! Most of the time she seems to really want to, she also seems really drunk! I'm not gonna do that with anybody when they're not in the mind to know what they're trying to consent to. That's as good as rape and I would never do that! You know me better than that, Dwight!" he said defensively and I let him go because I did know him better than that.

"Lia's getting drunk? A lot?" I asked.

"More than most people do at least," he told me.

"McHugh, do whatever you can to keep her sober. Hope confided something in me and I don't want it getting around this town," I said.

"What is it, Dwight?"

"Apparently, my sister is very… sexual when she gets drunk."

"I already figured that out."

"Yes, but if you don't keep an eye on her… McHugh, she'll let someone take advantage of her. Hope noticed it seven or eight years ago. The first time Delia asked her to go out with her and some of the other attendings."

"So when she was in her residency she realized this about Delia? And she didn't turn her in and get her license pulled?"

"No. She tried to keep her away from the bars," I explained. "Hope has been looking out for Delia since long before her Trouble activated, McHugh. When the Gull reopened, she warned me about this because she was worried that Lia was drunk with Duke. When I got pissed off, she explained the problem. We've tried to keep this to a minimal number of people. Basically, until now, it was me, Hope, and Duke, because they were together. Now that you're with her, you need to know if you're gonna protect my sister, McHugh."

"Why did Duke and Delia split? She gets pretty annoyed any time she sees him in town or hears anything about him."

"Honestly? I'm not sure on the details. All I know is that the day we did the ritual to stop the spirits from attacking Hope, Delia ran off as soon as the two of them woke up. When I asked him why, he told me the spirits showed him he was bad for her so he ended things," I said. "I was too stunned for words and then Hope started whimpering and bleeding more. But I never thought Duke Crocker, of all people, would actually break up with someone because he found out that he was bad for them."

"I wonder what the hell those spirits showed him… I mean, was it even real… what they showed him? Because from what Hope had told us about the spirits, they had a real hard-on for torturing anyone with Crocker blood. Crocker Curse or not, they were evil incarnate as far as these spirits were concerned. I'm not Duke's biggest fan, but even I can admit, he's not the dick he used to be before he died. I don't know if it is the fact that the Crocker Curse and all the Troubles he collected are gone or if its Hope that changed him, but he's a different man," McHugh said.

"I know. Even I've seen that since I've been spending so much time around him because of Hope. And he's really good with Lizzie. I never would've pegged Duke Crocker as being responsible with kids."

"It only makes you wonder more, doesn't it?" McHugh asked.

"Delia will never talk about it."

"Maybe you can get Hope to get Duke to talk about it?"

"I doubt it. It was a rule between the four of us. Our relationships were just that. They weren't any of our siblings' business."

"It's worth a shot."

"I'll think about it."

Hope:

I boarded Duke's smaller boat, the one he would have had to have used to take Jennifer's body out for burial at sea. Go to his navigation system I looked through it, looking for any spots that he went to more than once in the last few months. A few came up. After a few minutes, I found what I was looking for, writing down the coordinates before I got off his boat, leaving everything exactly as I'd found it.

Duke:

Over the last two weeks, if Hope wasn't with me or Dwight, she was keeping herself busy between work or personal business as she called it. I was a little suspicious, especially since she would take Mila with her when she would disappear for a few hours, both of them coming back exhausted. But I knew better than to ask Mila about it. We may have some kind of relationship, but her loyalty was to her family above all else. I was pretty sure she would kill to protect them. She sure as hell didn't seem the kind of woman to hold the same moral questions about hexing a person that Hope did.

Finally, the day had come that Mila was leaving. Early in the morning, before Hope and I would typically do morning yoga, the two of them had disappeared. Again, I knew better than to ask, and honestly, I didn't want the last time that Mila and I had together to be arguing over something I knew she wasn't going to tell me. When they did come back, we did morning yoga together before Hope went back to her place to shower and change, leaving Mila and me some time alone before she left that afternoon. We were meeting Hope and Dwight for lunch before Mila left. Until then, we were alone.

We went below decks, and not wanting to presume anything, I offered to let her shower first. She pulled me in with her. That began a morning of incredible sex. I took her in every way I possibly could. She pushed me to my limits sexually and I was in ecstasy inside of her. I lost count of how many times we'd made each other come by the time we realized we really did need to shower and get ready to meet Hope and Dwight. Neither of us were overly interested in stopping, but we also knew she needed to go back to Massachusetts that afternoon. So I pounded her as hard as I could with her bent over my bed, making her cry out my name as I did. When she started to spasm around my cock, I felt myself start to release into her and it felt amazing. I finally pulled out of her after we both finished, and had her get in the shower.

When we got to the restaurant, Dwight and Hope were sitting at a booth, their backs to us. They were looking at something we couldn't see. As we got closer to them, we saw pictures of them on a hike on one of the islands off the coast. Even I had to admit, the two of them were cute together… My baby sister, the Beauty, and Sasquatch, the Beast.

"Oh look, Mila," I said. "It's Beauty and the Beast."

Mila looked at the phone and laughed.

"You're mean sometimes, Duke," she said to me.

"Really, Big Brother? You're going to be mean to my boyfriend when we're paying for lunch?" Hope asked me.

I had no comeback.

"Hello to you too, Crocker," Dwight said to me.

"You know, Sasquatch, there are two Crockers in town now, technically," I said. "So are you talking to me or my Baby Sister when you say that?"

"I don't call Hope by her last name, Crocker, so obviously I'm talking to you," Dwight said to me.

"Really? So no pet names for my sister?" I asked, teasingly and Hope started to turn pink in her cheeks, which was impressive since we had matching olive complexions.

"Enough about that," Hope said, handing Mila a box. "Mila, this is from me, Dwight, and Lizzie. Stay safe on your many travels, Cousin."

Mila opened the box and in it was a throw blanket with intricate artwork on it. The design reminded me a bit of Hope's pendant. But there was a bright sun on it with a man, it was obviously Greek.

"What is this?" I asked.

"Apollo," Mila said in awe.

"Wait, the healer that is looking after Hope?" I asked confused.

"He is also the patron god of travelers, thieves, the sun, among other things," Mila explained, still looking at the throw blanket in awe. "Where did you get this, Hope?"

"Lizzie and I made it," Hope said. "She picked the picture we used out of the less-nude portrayals of Apollo, and then Dwight bought the supplies. I taught Lizzie how to do needlepoint to help me with the design, and then I put it all together. Obviously, when it was completed, I blessed it for you."

Mila got up and hugged both Dwight and Hope.

"I will cherish this always," she said to them. "Please give Lizzie a hug and kiss for me. Tell her I love it and thank you?"

"Of course, Mila," Dwight said. "I'm sure she'll be ecstatic to hear you love the blanket so much. Those two worked so hard on it."

It was a fairly normal lunch after that. When it was over, Mila packed the blanket in with the rest of her belongings. She said goodbye to Dwight and Hope, who left before Mila did, leaving us to say a private goodbye.

"So, this is it," Mila said to me.

"Yes," I said to her, kissing her, "it is. It was fun while it lasted, but we knew it would never last."

"I know," she replied. "But it was nice to pretend for a while. To stay in one place, have a steady relationship. Thank you, Duke, for showing me that. I'll never forget you."

I was suddenly confused.

"Why are you thanking me? You're acting like you've never been in a steady relationship."

"I haven't. Not like what we've had for what? Over a month? I'm never in one place that long," she replied wistfully.

"Why not?" I asked.

"Because of my curse," she replied.

"You're cursed?" I asked incredulously.

"Since the day I was born. If I'm lucky, and I ever have children, they will not have my fate," Mila said.

"Why have you been cursed since the day you were born?"

"My mother, she broke her marriage vow to her husband, my step-father. He's my father in every sense of the word, and has never treated me as anything but his true child, but everybody knows he is not my true father. My real father, the man who can't acknowledge me as his daughter, was actually Penny's high priest… Her fiancé. Unfortunately, he was a high priest of Zeus."

"So, what does that mean?"

"My mother sleeping with a high priest of Zeus, breaking her own marriage vow to do it… it angered Zeus' consort, Hera. She is the one who placed the curse on me for my mother's misdeeds. My punishment is to serve to remind my mother of the consequence of breaking the vow of marriage," Mila said, barely looking at me.

"What do you mean?"

"I am Hera's weapon, to be used as she wishes. I am not allowed the joy of a relationship that can ever lead to a marriage, because my mother broke her vow. However, I go where she sends me, making others who have broken their marriage vows feel her wrath. And sometimes, it is against my own family," Mila said.

"So that is why you weren't on the east coast when Hope first went down?"

"Yes. I was in California. Hera had sent me there a few weeks prior. By the time she released me and told me what had happened to Hope, she had already been unconscious for almost a week. At that point I needed to get back to the family to gather supplies and information before I could get up here to you."

"You understand what I went through before Hope came into my life, don't you?" I asked her.

"In a lot of ways, I do, Duke Crocker. And I would never wish this on anyone. I'm glad that my cousin was able to break your curse. Maybe one day, Hera will feel that I have paid enough for my mother's indiscretions. I know that my step-father petitions her for my freedom all the time. But unless and until that day comes, I am in her service, cursed to be her weapon. And now, I have to go. I only have two days until I know she will call on me again. I'm starting to feel her pull on me again, which means she will be sending me on her crusade soon. I want to see my step-father and maybe my actual father before I do have to go."

I gave Mila one last kiss and let her go.

Hope:

It had been a week since Mila left. I still hadn't been sleeping much. Suddenly, there was a knock on my apartment door. When I pulled the curtain back, it was Duke. He had been coming over earlier every day since Mila had gone. I could tell he wasn't dealing well with her leaving.

"Hey, Duke," I said as I let him in and he handed me a cup of coffee. "How are you feeling?"

At first he hadn't said anything to me. He just stared at me. I knew there was something on his mind since the afternoon Mila left, but he wouldn't say what it was.

"Did you know?" he asked me.

"Know what?"

"Did you know that Mila is cursed?" Duke asked me.

I took a deep breath. I was shocked that Mila had told him. She had never talked about it with anyone outside of the family before.

"Yes. I did," I replied to him. "It happened before I was even born, Duke."

"Why didn't you tell me before…?"

"That's not my story to tell, Duke. And besides, we agreed to stay out of each other's relationships."

"Can't anyone help her? Isn't there a way to make that… that…"

"Careful about finishing that sentence, Duke," I warned him. "I love you and I want you to be happy, but if you finish that sentence, that may be out the window for you."

"What do you mean?"

"Hera is the goddess of marriage among other things. She is one of the Olympian gods. Much like Poseidon and Artemis, two of the ancient powers I called on for the protection spells I was using before the ritual. To top it off, she is Zeus' consort, which makes her Queen of Olympus, Duke. Many gods can be temperamental, and you don't want to get on their bad side. Insulting them is a surefire way to do just that," I explained before I softened. "I'm not saying I don't feel for Mila. I don't think she should have to pay for her mother's infidelities. But, only Zeus himself can force Hera to free Mila from her servitude unless Hera frees her on her own. I mean, deals can be made to try to make a deal for Mila's freedom, but it would be a faustian deal… Anyone who made a deal for Mila would be doing so with a near-guarantee of being screwed over by one or more Olympians. And if you think you can pull a fast one on a god, think again. If they realize you played them, things will be worse for you and Mila."

"So there is really no way to help her?"

"I know her step-father constantly petitions Hera for her freedom. Other than that, I can try to think of something else."

"Thank you, Hope. I know your magick is still recovering, but I appreciate it. Even if Mila and I can't be together, I hate the idea that I'm free of my curse and not only may she never be, but there is a possibility of her children being cursed as well."

"I'll see if I can think of anything. No promises, and even if I can think of anything, it may not be anything Mila will agree to."

"I understand. It means more to me that you're trying. I know you've spent your life focused on learning how to help me, but your cousin needs your help just as much."

"Alright, Duke. I already agreed."

We hung out for a little longer and then Duke left for the day. When I left for work, I put my supplies in the trunk of my car. Duke didn't know my magick was a lot more replenished than he thought. He also didn't know where I disappeared to in a lot of my free time… Carpenter's Knot… Which I had bought from the City of Haven, with just some of the money I had made since I had finished medical school. The island was now my sacred space, perfect for rituals or anything else I needed to do.

After work, I got into my car and drove to the marina. The boat that I had also purchased was docked far from the Cape Rouge. It was late and Beetee promised me she wouldn't tell Duke about either my boat or my activity. Once I had boarded my boat, I checked my equipment. Satisfied that all the equipment I would need was properly functioning, I set out, the coordinates of my destination in my navigation system.

It took me a while to reach where I needed to go. When I finally reached it, I dropped anchor, turned on the search light on my boat, and tested my oxygen tank one last time. I holstered two knives to my wetsuit, grabbed an underwater flashlight, and jumped into the water.

It took me almost forty minutes to find what I was looking for. Once I did, it took me another ten to detangle it from the ocean floor, and then another five to carefully reach the surface without giving myself the bends. Using the ropes I had left loose on the back of my boat, I tied it to the back of my boat and then got myself aboard again. Finally, I pulled it aboard.

From there, I took my boat to Carpenter's Knot. Once there, I used the gurney from the hospital that I "forgot" on the island to move my cargo from the boat to the basement of the resort house. Inside the basement, I performed a preservation spell. I cut the bag, and saw the ocean-decayed body of Jennifer Mason. I lit a candle that Mila and I had blessed weeks ago, that would slowly reverse the decomposition her body had suffered. With the preservation spell I had also cast, it would prevent Jennifer's body from decomposing any further as the magick in the candle reversed months of decomposition before I could take the next step.

Duke:

It had been almost two weeks since I had talked to Hope about Mila's curse. She hadn't said anything to me about it and I hadn't really seen much of her since. I caught her as she was coming home when I was heading in to make sure everything was in order at the Gull for the night. She looked pale and exhausted. Alarm bells started going off in my head.

"Hope?" I called to her.

She didn't answer me the first time.

"Hope?" I called to her again, this time a little louder, finally getting acknowledged. "Are you okay, Sis?"

"Yeah, Duke," she replied, stifling a yawn. "I'm just tired."

"And you look pale. Are you sure you're just tired?"

"Yeah. I'm okay."

"Is Dwight keeping you up all night?"

"Good gods, Duke! Not everyone thinks about sex non-stop!" she exclaimed, her face turning red.

"There goes some color!"

She threw her shoes at me. I wouldn't have thought anything of it, but they smelled like the open ocean.

"Hope?"

"What, Dwight?" she asked, annoyed this time.

"Have you and Dwight been going out to sea for day trips or something?"

"No, why?" she replied, lying to me for the first time.

"No reason, Sis. Go get some sleep," I said and she turned around and went upstairs.

I went inside and called Sasquatch.

"What is it, Duke?" he answered.

"When was the last time you saw Hope?"

"About a week, almost two, actually, why? She said she's got a lot on her plate right now. It's not unusual with work and everything."

"Have the two of you ever gone out to the open seas… gone scuba diving or anything?"

"No. I'm not even sure that Hope knows how to dive. Why? What's going on, Duke?"

"I'm pretty sure Hope is up to something and I think my sister just lied to me for the first time."

"Why?"

"I was joking on her, making her turn colors, saying she's as tired as she is because you're keeping her up all night. She just got home and she looks exhausted and pale, Dwight."

"Wait, she just got home?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Gloria told me that Hope's shift at the hospital ended at six this morning. Unless she stopped somewhere before she went home, she should've been home more than eight hours ago," Dwight told me. "Why did you ask about scuba diving and spending time on the open ocean?"

"Because, when I started teasing her, she threw her shoes at me. They smell like the open ocean."

"I haven't taken her out. So if you haven't…"

"I haven't. It looks like Hope is up to something. I think one of us needs to talk to Beetee. Maybe you should do it, Dwight. Do you think McHugh could watch Lizzie just in case Beetee knows something that she shouldn't hear?"

"Yeah. I'll give him a call."

"Thanks. Let me know when you know something."

"I will."

I was worried about Hope now. She was pale and exhausted. There were a lot of hours unaccounted for in her day and she was just letting me believe she was with Dwight when she wasn't. I started getting the Gull ready for that night. When we opened, Dwight showed up.

"What did Beetee have to say?"

"She said that Hope owns a boat, Duke. A 50 Cantius Yacht that's docked on the opposite end of the marina from the Rouge, specifically to keep it hidden from you. According to Beetee, Hope's been spending a lot of free time out on that boat," Dwight said.

"Did you get on board and check the navigation system?" I asked, worried that my sister was doing something stupid.

"Couldn't. By the time Beetee finished talking to me and then showed me where it should be docked, the boat was gone, Duke."

I came out from behind the bar and ran up the stairs to Hope's apartment. When there was no answer, I used the master keys I had as her landlord to open the door. She wasn't home.

"Where could she be?" I asked desperately.

Dwight was already dialing her. I looked at him to see if she picked up. He shook his head at me.

"Straight to voicemail. Either she turned off her cell or she's in a deadzone."

I pulled my cell out of my pocket and called Nathan.

"Wuornos," he said when he picked up.

"Nathan, its Duke. I need your help."

"What's going on, Duke? What's wrong?"

"Its Hope. I don't know where she is. I'm with Dwight. He just came back from the marina and found out that she owns a boat and has been spending a lot of time in it, but Nathan, Hope is looking pale and exhausted. I'm worried she's up to something she shouldn't be and I don't have the first clue where to look for her if she's not with Dwight."

"Alright, Duke. Give me a little bit of time. I'll see up what other records she has in Haven. If she owns the boat, there's going to be records of that, so let's see if she owns anything else you don't know about. Maybe that will give you a direction to look in."

"Thanks, Nathan."

Hope:

It was time. I entered the basement and looked at her body. She looked like she was just sleeping. There were no more signs of her skin being bloated from her burial at sea. She no longer had any signs that showed she had ever died. Her body didn't even smell like a corpse.

"Are you sure you should be doing this, Hope?" Jennifer asked me.

"Yes, Jennifer," I replied to the woman my brother loved, that I had been protecting for weeks, most of it on Carpenter's Knot. "My brother needs you. Mila was a distraction, but her telling him about her curse just made him start to go to a dark place again. I'm not sure I can bring him back from that. I know you can."

"But you look so weak, so tired. He'll be mad if anything happens to you because you were doing this for him."

"I know he will, but a lot of the harder spellwork was already done by me and Mila, before I ever went and found your body. The candle had been gradually charged with the spells that would reverse the state your body was in back to this state, so I could bring you back. Once it was fully charged, I just needed your body and to light the candle to start the spell."

"Then why do you look so worn out?"

"The preservation spell and my day to day spells took a lot more out of me than I thought they would. Don't worry. I'll be fine. Probably unconscious for a little bit, but I'll be fine nonetheless, Jennifer."

"If you're sure you know what you're getting us both into."

"I am. So prepare yourself. You've been dead for months. It's going to be a shock for you to be alive again."

With that, I started the resurrection ritual.

Duke:

It took Nathan almost an hour, but he finally got back to me and Dwight.

"Did you find anything, Nathan?" I asked as soon as I picked up.

"Yeah, actually, I did," he replied. "Duke, did you know that your sister bought Carpenter's Knot?"

"What?" I asked.

"Yeah, apparently not long after she came out of the coma from her ritual. She bought the island… in cash."

"Anything else?"

"Other than the boat? Those are the main things. I'm still digging into it, just to make sure, but her buying the Knot, Duke. I thought that was something that was pretty major."

"It is, Nathan. I'm heading out there. If you can't reach me or Dwight, leave us a message or a text if there is anything else you find."

"Gotcha."

I hung up on Nathan and turned to Dwight.

"Did you know my sister bought Carpenter's Knot?" I asked him.

He looked at me in shock.

"No. I had no idea she even knew about Carpenter's Knot."

"She paid for it in cash, not long after she woke up from the ritual. I'm going out there to check for her. Are you coming?"

"Do you really think you need to ask?"

We ran downstairs to my boat. When we got to Carpenter's Knot we made our way to the resort house. From outside of the house, I could see lights in the basement. I ran the rest of the way, Dwight at my side, rushing to get to the basement.

Hope:

I could feel the spell working. I could feel Jennifer's body responding to my magick, my mother's magick, and Nyx, who was lending me the strength to perform this ritual. Jennifer's heart was starting to pump blood in her veins again. Her brain was starting to give off electrical impulses. Finally, she drew her first breath. Nyx took her leave of the ritual and Apollo took her place, helping me to heal Jennifer so there would be no lasting effects from death.

In the distance I could hear Dwight and Duke calling my name. They sounded worried about me. I couldn't respond. I was too far into the ritual. I needed to keep my focus. At this point, I had no idea what would happen to me or Jennifer if I lost focus. So I ignored them, even though I could hear and feel them getting closer to me. Finally, Jennifer was ready.

"It's time," I said to her.

"Time?" she asked.

"Your body is ready for you. Reunite with your body and it will awaken, Jennifer."

"I'm nervous, Hope."

"You're going to be fine."

Jennifer's spirit returned to her body.

Dwight:

Duke and I burst into the last room of the basement. As we did, Hope hit the floor, exhaustion having taken over. I ran right to her and checked her pulse. It was steady and strong. She wasn't in a coma, she was just out cold. I looked at Duke to tell him the good news.

"Duke? Why do you look like you've seen a ghost?" I asked him.

"Hi, Dwight," a voice said behind me.

I turned around to see who was talking to me.

"Jennifer? You're alive?" Duke barely got out in his shock.