She hides the backpack and boots underneath one of the bigger trees on the edge of the forest, covers them with pine branches, folds the jacket and hangs it on her arm (she would never ever ever leave it unattended, pine branches on top or not!), and wobbles through the town on her horrible heels. Getting to her destination takes some time.

"Nice bag," Haley declares as she's walking along Willow Lane. "If somewhat bulky. And shoes. But maybe you should have practiced first."

Maybe she should have.

"I think you look wonderful in any shoes, Abigail," Emily says in her usual exceedingly amiable manner, and gives her that obligatory hug. Abigail tilts, but manages not to fall. "And what a lovely tan you have! You must have been spending so much time outside. The energy of the sun has done you good. Oh, is this pure linen?"

As luck would have it, there are customers around, browsing, when she enters Dad's store, and he has to pretend so as not to lose face.

"Ah, Abigail dearest!" he says in an almost believably cheerful tone, eyeing her fancy attire. "Back for your summer break?"

Wow, he's clumsy. Hasn't summer break started a while ago? Well at least he's not yelling even clumsier lies about her being expelled and all that. Maybe this exchange has been a part of his special seasonal plan to keep face.

"Y-yes. Hello."

"How were the exams?"

She's not that good at pretending either, but Abigail tries her best.

"I think I did alright."

"Splendid!"

"Well, I hope you don't mind if I get some refreshments in the kitchen and go check on Mom."

"Not at all, not at all. Please. We'll talk more over dinner. Oh, and have you chosen an academic major?"

The stupidest part: no one's really paying attention and no one cares, but he insists on continuing with this charade.

"Botany," Abigail blurts out and goes past him, through the back door, then upstairs.

Mom is not in the bedroom, and the bed is made. There's no medication on the bedside table, nor any of the other stuff that Sebastian was frantically providing Abigail with when she was sick with the flu.

Should have known … Should have argued more, should have never left! After all, that magic saucer showed her M. Rasmodius instead of her father. That thing was totally broken.

"I saw you through the window," says Caroline from behind her.

Abigail turns. Or maybe it wasn't completely broken? Mom is still holding a bag of ice to her head and looking at her gloomily. It almost feels like Mom is scrutinizing her, trying to see underneath the surface, and is not at all fooled by Abigail's pretty attire and healthy tan.

"Uhm. Hi. I—"

"I don't need your explanations in addition to the vicious migraine I had earlier today. Please, spare me. Knowing what company you've been keeping is already enough."

"But I. I'm doing really well. And I brought you gifts. And I wanted to—"

Mom deliberately turns and leaves the room. She probably wants Abigail to follow and offer a million apologies, but Abigail will not be doing that.

She has a lot of respect for Sam, and trust, too, but this time he might have been talking out of his ass. Maybe some families aren't really salvageable.

Still need to stick to the plan and make sure Dad would not attempt to stop her from leaving. Abigail goes back downstairs and waits until the last customer walks out before hastily stepping behind the counter, grabbing Pierre's sleeve and whispering very fast, so Dad doesn't interrupt her, and in a conspiratorial tone, like Sam taught her, "Now listen to me very carefully, father. It is a matter of utmost importance." She places the jewelry box in front of him. "The Beast's family sent their apologies to you for the stress you have endured, and not only apologies." Even from the side, she can see her father's eyes glistening with greed and excitement when he peeks into the box. "His family is very wealthy, and would prefer to keep his existence secret for now, so it's great that you haven't told anyone. You see, the Beast's hideous appearance is a result of an inhumane science experiment carried out by Joja Corporation."

Dad gasps. He hates Joja.

"I knew it!" he whispers, launching his fingers into the box and clenching them around a few rubies.

"Perhaps even in collaboration with the government," she continues, trying her best to sound even more grim. "This had been my very first hunch, and this is why I left. As you can see, it was the right thing for me to do. I have been hired by his family to help find ways for him to regain his humanity, and to educate him properly. His manners are appalling."

Dad nods solemnly and his glasses slide down to the tip of his nose; he forgets to adjust them. "Just as I said!"

"Also to assist them in unraveling this conspiracy and punishing the higher-ups at Joja. And if I continue helping them, rest assured, their gratitude will continue to be generous."

"Yes, I think it is your duty to help."

Wow, Sam was right about this one, and her hunch was correct, too; Dad would have believed any lie as long as it smeared Joja Corporation's image and implicated them in something horrible. Plus, precious gems.

Looks like she just received his blessing — twisted as it might be — and is now free of his nagging. Her only hope is that he will use some of the money from selling the gems to hire help for the shop. Doubtful, though. Either way, Dad won't be locking her up, that's a relief.

Mom is hiding somewhere. And Abigail no longer wants to talk to her.

But since she's here anyway, and there's still some time at her disposal, Abigail should do other things, useful things, before leaving. She goes up the stairs, kicks off her horrible and dazzling shoes, finds the only pair of summer flats in her possession, and puts them on. Still not too comfortable, but better than high heels. This room is so messy now, and so cluttered.

She then heads for the farm to say hi and all (maybe also to boast a little, but just a tad … mostly to offer thanks for the initial crash course).

Unfortunately on the way she meets Alex, and it's too late to hide, and impossible to dodge him on a narrow street.

"Hey girl, you're looking fine," he says as if they've last seen each other last week and not months ago, and, smirking, eyes her up and down.

Abigail is really not interested. Right now or ever again.

"Hi. Sorry, I'm kinda in a rush."

But he steps in front of her, blocking her passage. "Wanna hang out tonight? We could go to the beach or sneak up into my room. My grandfolks will be snoozing after nine, so we could—"

"No," interrupts Abigail, already getting frustrated by how inconsiderate he is. "Sorry, Alex, but that thing we were doing, it's over for good. I wish you all the best, I really do."

He looks so slighted. As if she just told him that his biceps were saggy. "Huh? You dating someone?"

"As a matter of fact I am." Her irritation is growing; he's still not letting her pass, and it's not like she could move him, he's really bulky and wide. "They're both very nice people. I hope you can be friends someday. Now could you please just m—"

"Both?!" screams Alex, so loudly that her ears start ringing. "What, you're in a throuple or something?!"

She attempts to circle around him, to no avail. Why is he acting so pushy? It's not like the two of them were in love or even friends. His ego is what's fragile, and not 'all of the girls'!

"Just for your information, it's 'triad'. And 'throuple' is an offensive word, Alex. A slur. Please don't use it."

He takes a step back, and his eyes are like saucers. Not magical — regular saucers.

"Why should I care about offending you? You're a freak!"

This is getting annoying in more ways than one. Abigail is really not in the mood for his prickly outbursts, and she needs to do several things as soon as possible, and Alex is definitely not among them.

"If you say so. Now may I please pass? As I told you, I'm in a hurry."

Finally, Alex relents and steps away, continuing to mutter something about freaks, and Abigail gets to the farm with no more distractions.

But the owner is not there, having, perhaps, left for Calico or gone fishing for the day. Abigail pets one of the chickens, and she utters a loud roar and says a couple of boring chicken things, as usual, then burps out a bit of blue fire. She's obviously excited to receive some pets.

The pumpkins are doing fine, they're growing steadily and they've been taken good care of; the soil is well fertilized and drained, there are no squash bugs, aphids or slugs around, and the leaves are glossy, clean, and not munched on the edges.

Coming closer, she reads the wooden label sign sticking out of the ground.

It says, "Abigail's pumpkins".

She feels slightly guilty for a second, then very guilty for a few. This is the person she should have brought precious gems to, and not as an accompaniment to stupid lies or a plug for endless greed (and not for eating, either), but just as an earnest gift. Plus, there's a furnace on the property, and some gold coins could be smelted into less moustached and more useful shapes.

She decides to bring some later, at the first opportunity. And that roll of fabric with embroidered birches, tacky as it might be, would actually look nice as curtains for a farmhouse's kitchen.

Well, enough dilly-dallying, decides Abigail. Mom is not actually sick and doesn't want her around, and Dad has been successfully plied; all that's left to do is get some necessities and seeds from the shop, and she can be on her way.

Sam must have already had lunch without her, and this thought alone is enough to make her feel sad.

Abigail takes the long way around, however, in case Alex is still hanging out somewhere nearby, and emerges on Willow Lane, where it goes straight along the bank of a stream. There is a man standing there, by the water, and the sight of him causes her to once again stop dead in her tracks.

It's Kent. He's all alone, and his pose is strained and tense; his shoulders are hunched. Kent's back is to her, so Abigail can't see his expression, but something tells her it's not cheerful at all.

Talking to him and assuring him he's not crazy, in case he still thinks that, would be the right thing to do.

Abigail makes as much noise as possible while approaching him, on purpose, so as not to take him unawares. He's probably still scared of loud noises. She was right; his expression is very sullen and gloomy, and it doesn't seem like he wants to talk.

But despite how nervous Abigail feels, she gathers her courage in the end, and introduces herself, and offers Kent her hand to shake.

"I know who you are," he says in a deep and hoarse voice. "That man from the tower, he told me about you. When he asked for the photograph."

"So the picture came from you?"

Okay, that's logical. Otherwise M. Rasmodius would have probably needed to steal it.

"Yes. You believe me, too, don't you?"

There are no words to describe how relieved Abigail feels; she was bracing for a long and awkward exchange filled with fragmented explanations, mistrust, and accusations of mockery; yet it looks like none of this is going to happen. She likes this man.

"Of course I do! And you do have a son, it's just that, well. He's lost his memory. But I'm helping him get it back. It's a long process."

Kent scrutinizes her features for a few long moments, narrowing his dark eyes. "I really hope you're telling the truth."

Yes, he's still a bit distrustful, but it's understandable. And not too awkward.

"I am, I promise."

"Then why can't I see him?" asks Kent, taking a step closer to her. "I've already asked Major Rasmodius, or whatever his real name is, and his answer was evasive."

Abigail sighs. "Because there's a magic curse involved. But I actually think you should be able to visit. I'll ask him for you, so he takes you to your son. I'm telling the truth, I promise," she repeats on the off chance he's still doubting.

It wouldn't be prudent to offer him to get lost in the forest. Abigail has a hunch that he wouldn't welcome this method, and it wouldn't do his mind any good. Also, what if he actually just gets lost there? No, he needs a learned guide, a specialist.

Kent straightens up, cranes his neck and gives her a sharp nod, as if he was participating in a military parade.

"You believed me. So it would only be fair to return the favor," he replies, still sounding somewhat gloomy.

"Does no one else in town believe you?" murmurs Abigail, feeling sad over his situation again. "No one at all?"

"One. The nurse at our clinic. At least she told me so."

"Maru, right? She seems nice." There is nothing else of note that Abigail could say about her. Maru wasn't ever interested in hanging out, and her interests have always been limited to things that could be calculated, tested, and explained. Also, she's even smarter and better educated than Penny, and Abigail has always felt insecure in her presence.

And a bit envious; Maru appears to have a great relationship with her dad.

"I suppose. At the time she told me that she understood how I was feeling because she always thought that she'd had a brother, although there was no proof. I'm not entirely certain if she really meant it, or that she didn't change her mind afterwards. People of science tend to hold on tightly to logic, even in our day and age."

"Brother, huh." Overcome by a sudden hunch, Abigail's mind is racing. M. Rasmodius said that no one was looking for a lost relative around here, but what about this occurrence? Perhaps Maru never mentioned it to anyone but Kent. "Did she tell you anything else about this brother?"

"No, nothing. Just as I cannot say anything of substance because I don't remember, I don't even remember my son's name. Yet when I think about it," he lifts his head and squints at the sun for a moment, "I imagine something filled with life and light."

"Sam," Abigail blurts out. "I thought it would suit him, so I—"

The entirety of Kent's rigid body flinches. "Samson! Of course! That is his name!" But the next second, his shoulders tense again. "At least… I think it might be."

Abigail feels very sorry for Kent. "Would you like me to tell you more about him?"

"Yes. I'd like that."

So she talks for a long while, and he listens intently and doesn't accuse her of lying, or interrupt her.

Then, when she's done, he sighs heavily. "I'm glad someone has been there for him, cared for him. Because the truth is. That someone was — and is — probably doing a much better job than I ever could. Curse or not, I wouldn't have been able to even witness any of it. To be there for him. I wasn't here." He gestures back towards his house. "Away for most of these years, serving in the army, fighting in the war. But now that I'm retired—" He trails off and doesn't finish the thought.

Abigail does it for him. "Now you finally have time to get to know him."

Kent nods, then adds in a decisive tone, "I will talk to Major General Rasmodius again."

"Yes, please do that. He's probably just worried about traumatizing, er, someone involved, he mentioned something about that… He's sort of a very cautious man, I think, so maybe just tell him that you're ready to face the consequences or. Something like that."

Maybe at some point in the past Abigail would have also called him 'indecisive' and 'dramatic', but these seem like mean and rude adjectives. She no longer even wants to call him 'eccentric'.

They say goodbye, and she continues on her way, finalizing a mental list of bulbs and seeds and things she's going to grab from the store; but what Kent said about Maru simply refuses to leave Abigail's head.

There's still time.

So she decides to drop by the clinic.

"Maru is off today," Dr. Harvey replies when she asks. "I believe she is at home."

"Then I'd better go there," she tells him and turns for the door.

"Abigail, you missed your annual checkup, so please make sure to come back later, at least for a blood test."

"Okay." But she already has one foot out the door, literally.

Abigail is not a fan of needles.

The somewhat isolated house up the mountain belongs to the town's carpenter and was built by her. Abigail knows it because everyone knows it. The house's exterior is well familiar to her, too, she's seen it plenty of times during her numerous evenings by the lake where she would play the flute, look for frogs, or simply stand by the water.

It's a nice house. But she's never been inside.

Demetrius directs her to the backyard, and Abigail finds Maru there, setting up her telescope.

"How may I help you?" offers Maru.

This question gives Abigail pause. What exactly is she supposed to ask?

Now she is almost certain that Maru was just being polite, the way nurses are in movies when they console patients and agree with their ramblings, no matter how ridiculous: yes, of course aliens visit us regularly, yes, chocolate can be white, well yes, certainly, tiny flat cordless telephones that can be carried around in pockets exist, and yes, they contain all of the world's knowledge, sure, you had a second son, I believe you. And stuff like that.

But would Maru have been this specific if this was the case? There'd be no reason to mention a brother.

"I was just wondering if you have any siblings," Abigail says right away, on a whim.

Best to stab at the heart of it. People of science like it when you're not beating around the bush, or so Abigail heard.

"No," Maru says. "But I have several cousins. Why?"

"You told Kent something about a brother, so I thought I'd ask—"

Maru looks away. "Oh. That. It's silly. I sometimes dream of having one, and of us doing things together. Like this." She points at her telescope. "Or science experiments. Or watching TV. But no, I don't have any siblings. I mainly told him that in order to support him, so that he wouldn't think he's insane… He isn't. Just traumatized. But it's probably just wishful thinking. Dreaming. You know."

Maru mentioning dreams stirs something in Abigail, but she is not sure what exactly the something is.

"But what if it isn't?" she asks, wanting but not daring to mention magic in case Maru holds a strong stance against it. "What if, er, you had a brother and forgot him?"

Erasing memories is what evil practitioners of magic love to do, and they're usually very good at it. Maybe this is one of the tricks that helps them evade troopers and other authorities.

"Well, let's see. Memory loss can be caused by various diseases of which I have none, thankfully. It can also be caused by a trauma to the head, like a concussion. I'm usually very careful. Also, alcohol, which I don't consume. Am I forgetting something?"

"Evil curses!" Abigail blurts out, no longer able to contain herself.

If Sam was here, he'd probably answer with 'your brother!' and then giggle, and maybe Sebastian would huff a chuckle or two with his chimneys. She already misses them so much … she should wrap up and get back.

Maru adjusts her spectacles and purses her lips. "Hmm, maybe. But I have never encountered one. I wouldn't even know how to research it. Perhaps if I was a theoretical physicist. Sadly, that's not the case. Also, wouldn't there be signs of his presence left?"

"Things can be disappeared by magic. Er, disintegrated," Abigail corrects herself, thinking that maybe this word sounds more science-y.

"I suppose. Or stolen." Maru shrugs. "Sorry, magic is really not my field. Too many variables, exceedingly vague rules. I really think that the actual reason is very simple, namely that I've always wanted a brother. Don't get me wrong, I love my family. But sometimes I do wish it was bigger."

"Right. Okay. Well, uh, thanks for telling me this."

"No problem," says Maru and is about to go back to her telescope, but changes her mind. "Wait. Is this why you skipped your appointment this year? Do you think you have memory problems, and you were worried? It's a very common fear, and, I assure you, there's nothing to be ashamed of, and it's all confidential, and modern day medical science can help with many things, including memory loss."

"No, I just. I'm healthy," Abigail mumbles before retreating.

That was a fair question, though. Something's off with her memories, and she's been feeling it for a long time. If Sam really is Kent's son, could Abigail have known him in the past, and then that evil old lady erased her memories too? And her Mom's memories — which is why Mom has always berated her for being a loner. And maybe Maru's memories. And everyone's. No one in town remembers Sam.

Which is a pity. Sam's presence could have made this drab place more tolerable even in the form of outrageous stories people would tell each other about his and Sebastian's pranks and all.

Maybe he and Sebastian were her friends when she was little? And then something happened to them. What if they learned of Baba Yaga moving into town, what if they learned that she bribed Mayor Lewis, and decided to pay her a visit, and she cursed them and then died of old age? Or got killed by roses or something.

That would explain so many things. Alright, maybe not many things, but some things? Maybe one thing? No, it doesn't explain anything.

Hold on, yes it does! Well, no, it doesn't.

She should ask M. Rasmodius about spells and potions that might help with memory loss. Modern medical science is good and all, but magic needs to be countered with magic.

Plus, Abigail just really, really, really dislikes needles…

Finally, after running all over town for so long and engaging in so many conversations she hadn't expected to engage in, she returns to the store. No more time to lose.

She uses the bathroom, hastily eats some leftovers in the empty kitchen, then grabs a bag and picks some fresh bulbs, and seeds for leafy greens that can still be planted now and grown for the fall harvest, and seeds for vegetables that will survive the cold weather, and all the other stuff on her list. Perhaps if she had more time she'd negotiate buying a goat from Marnie, but she decides to do it later. For now there is only one other thing she could find in this house and take along that Sebastian can't create.

Her old room hasn't been cleaned in her absence — obviously a statement by Mom. Abigail isn't mad about the fact, but the amount of dust that's accumulated here, and how Dad has been using her bedroom as a storage closet for months, makes finding her old spirit board a very challenging endeavor.

Abigail needs to crawl halfway into the wardrobe and dig through piles of old dusty things on the bottom to reach it. There's Scrabble, too. That might come in handy.

Just when she finally manages to curl her fingers around the box and pull it out, the door to her room bangs shut and the lock clicks.

It takes her a few seconds to realize what's happened. Abigail springs up to her feet, runs to the door and is about to start banging on it and yelling at Dad to let her out when—

"That story you gave your father, I don't buy it," Mom says from behind the door. "I know magic when I see it. I have recently been recalling many unseemly things from my youth, including my foolish fascination with magic, and magic is a thing most unseemly. Also, I talked to Alex, and what he told me makes me wonder when and how have I failed so badly in raising you."

"Mom, let me out. Let me out, I need to go!" Abigail shouts, ignoring everything else. "I need to come back to them!"

"What you actually need to do is stay here for a while and ponder your appalling behaviour and lifestyle. And then to stop being greedy and choose one man, a man that's right for you, just like I have, and there's that."

"Mom!" Abigail bangs on the door until her fists hurt, but it's no use, as Caroline has already left.

Remembering her emergency plan, Abigail darts for the window. They haven't installed new latches or a grating — a thing she feared might happen — so she is able to successfully open it, but.

"Oh God, they have removed the fire ladder," Abigail says out loud, already feeling panic creeping in. Looking down, she can see only cobblestones, and not a single patch of earth or a bush that might cushion the fall if she jumps. She will doubtlessly break a bone of a few if she jumps. The surrounding area is empty, there are no passersby.

Attempting to quieten her fear, Abigail looks around the clutter that has accumulated here in the preceding months. She could tie clothes or bedsheets together, fashion them into a rope and use it to climb out.

But she got so distracted by all of this garbage from downstairs that she failed to notice right away that there were none in the closet, and most of her old clothes are gone too. The comforter lays bare on the equally bare mattress. The latter can't be put to use either because it's thin. Mom always says that thick mattresses and soft feather beds are bad for health.

Mom must have never slept on one, because the soft bed that Sebastian has created for Abigail is the best in the world!

There's tears in Abigail's eyes.

If she doesn't get back, something terrible is going to happen, and even if she didn't have a strong hunch about it, Abigail still wouldn't have wanted to stay here. She doesn't want to stay here! Sam was crying when she left, what if he's still crying!

What if he's been crying all day? What if Sebastian has been crying too?! What if he was enveloped by another bout of sadness, like last time, what if it's happening right now, and she isn't there to help Sam help him?! What if they are now both feeling like this, and there's no one there to help them? It's not like chickens could help them!

"I need to get out, I need to get out of here!"

She goes through the clutter again, throwing items chaotically aside. There is nothing here that could help her, no tools to break down the lock or to pick it, and it's not like she knows how to pick locks. Maybe if she was as strong as Sam, she could break down the door; and she even attempts to do it, slamming into it sideways several times. But it's of no use, and the door normally opens inward anyway, and now, in addition to everything else, her body is hurting too.

For a while she attempts to smash the lock with a heavy tin can. Unsuccessfully.

No no no, this cannot be happening.

Abigail looks wildly around. She is not giving up! Mom will let her out eventually, maybe to use the bathroom. She will, of course, shadow her on the way to it, but Abigail could attempt to push her aside.

Banging on the door again, she starts screaming that she needs the bathroom. But it sounds like Mom is not around; not only did she leave the second floor, she must have left the house, and Dad can't hear Abigail from here.

Abigail bursts into horrified tears. Fighting them, she looks out the window again.

There's still no one around, she can't call for help. And even if she could, there aren't any people in this town who would care enough to involve themselves in a private family matter. They'd probably turn away and walk away.

M. Rasmodius must have returned already, and he would surely help her. But he doesn't come here. Ever. Abigail has never seen him around, and even during festivals, when the square was packed and he was there, too, he gave this house a wide berth each time.

Some time passes. Abigail is not sure how much, but every additional minute is too much.

Wheezing and biting her nails, she paces around the room. She can hear faint shouting from downstairs; the noise, but not the words. Her parents must be fighting over her, Dad is probably arguing that she needs to be let go, but Dad is going to lose. Whenever he is bold enough to engage in a fight instead of locking himself up, away from Mom, he always loses. And then they team up against Abigail nearly every time. Mom will likely tell him that these gems are magical and unseemly, and could negatively impact his store's turnout, and can't be sold, or something, anything that in the end will sway his opinion, and even if it doesn't, something else will. Mom always wins in fights, then they don't talk for a day and all that. It's always the same.

They keep on fighting, it goes on for a while as Abigail leans her forehead into the locked door and sheds tears of helplessness. Why are they like this? They are always fighting, and over the smallest, most insignificant things, too, do they even love each other? Why are they staying together if they're not even friends and never were?! And what did Mom mean when she said 'just like I have'? Initially Abigail ignored most of her words, but now she can't help but think about them.

Did she mean Dad? Because Dad is most definitely not right for her! Hard to imagine Dad being right for anyone. Could she have meant—

"And Void and hell delivered up the dead which were in them!" comes a deafening roar through the open window.

Abigail darts for it again.

Outside, Shane stands, his head thrown back; he's surrounded by several big and glossy chickens. Most of them are exotic blue ones, but one is a normal and regular chicken; must have been her that was shouting.

"Uhm, hey," he says upon noticing her. "I saw you passing by the ranch, and you didn't drop by, so I came to ask how the chickens are doing, but—" Then, having noticed her tears, Shane trails off, and his expression changes from mildly excited to the gloomy one she's used to. "What happened, why are you crying?"

"Please," Abigail rasps, "you have to help me. Yes, your friends are doing fine, but mine probably aren't. And my parents have locked me in here, they don't want me to go back."

Shane furrows his brow and shakes his head. "Well that's just idiotic. Aren't you old enough to go where you want to..? Even Jas goes where she wants to go."

"I am!"

He runs his fingers through his disheveled hair, then pensively scratches his stubble. "Right, well, the door to the shop is locked, and they're not opening, I tried knocking and calling… There's some commotion in there."

"They're fighting. They won't hear you. Please." She barely knows Shane, and vice versa, and nothing is compelling him to help, and it's not like he's got a fire ladder on him that could be installed in a minute, or any ladder at all, but Abigail is getting desperate. "They took away all of the bedsheets and clothes, so I can't even— Maybe you could—"

"Bedsheets? Yes, I could bring you some. Hold tight."

Shane runs off immediately, and the chickens follow, with their clawed feet tapping on the cobblestones. Abigail is really grateful, although she doesn't understand why he's invested in her situation. It's likely because he's worried about Missy and Tau-zel Obemelekh the All-knowing. He seems to share a strong bond with his chickens, and M. Rasmodius said that Shane was 'quite attached to his young wards and worried about their well-being' and—

…Why was M. Rasmodius so invested in her situation? Why was he supporting her, cheering her on, helping and complimenting her? They were nothing but casual acquaintances before. His ex-wife was not involved with the whole curse business. Abigail doesn't have magical abilities, and can't become his apprentice, although he mentioned that he was looking for one.

He never comes near the store or this house in general. He's not friends with her dad or with her—

Abigail ebbs away from the window.

He said he was proud of her. Why would he say that? Why would he feel that if he was just an eccentric man living outside of town?

Mom always tells everyone, even those who didn't ask, that Abigail dyes her hair, but Abigail has never done that. Her hair just is what it is.

And it's the same color as his big bushy beard.

Plus, what Mom said earlier. That was really suspicious.

No, this is stupid. Things like this only happen in soap operas on TV, and in movies, not real life. It's as stupid as saying aliens or white chocolate exist. Or that 'Finland' is a real place. It's stupid, right?

Abigail remembers other things, other words. Maybe it isn't stupid at all.

And maybe Mom didn't mean Sam when she said something about 'company'. Either way, she is wrong. Yet Abigail finds that she no longer cares what Mom thinks. This realization makes her feel very sad.

But she'll sort through it later. Right now she needs to get to her real family.

Shane comes back, panting heavily, with even more chickens accompanying him, and he's pressing a whole pile of folded bedsheets to his chest. As he nervously sorts through them, throwing glances towards other windows or the front door, a pair of big and ugly purple underpants falls out.

"These are not mine," Shane says, grimacing in disgust. Then he picks them up and throws them towards the nearest dumpster, and misses it by a few inches. The purple underpants remain on the ground.

Need to hurry up in case her parents stop fighting and decide to check on her or, even worse, to go outside and see if the chicken that's been calling for hellfire to rain down on the mortal world was maybe lost and needed to be returned to her owner.

There's one thing in this hastily improvised plan that both of them forgot. How is he going to pass her the bedsheets?

He's probably going to ask his chickens to form a pyramid so they reach the second floor? That'd be a solid idea, but there's not nearly enough chickens.

But Shane just ties each bed sheet in a rough ball-knot and launches them up one by one.

Abigail, in turn, throws her bag out the window, and he manages to catch it, too, and smiles.

"This is pretty exciting," Shane says all of a sudden. "Good day today."

No, it's not. No, it isn't! Why would he say that? She's still scared, and, although her tears have dried, her fears are multiplying by the minute.

Abigail ties the bedsheets together, checking every knot, then ties them to the radiator. She might have lost some weight when she was sick, but she's still not exactly a thin and graceful ballerina. Really hoping that the fabric can hold her weight. Plus, Abigail's never done this before.

But she's way more scared of any harm coming to Sebastian and Sam, and there isn't a lot of space in her head left for other types of fear. She can do this.

"Come on!" Shane whispers gruffly from down below. He's full on grinning now, as if she was about to perform an awesome circus act. Well, maybe she is, but it won't be awesome. "Even if you slip halfway, I'll catch you, and there's enough padding on me to cushion your fall." With this, Shane chuckles merrily.

The regular chicken says another boring chicken thing, and the exotic chickens say nothing.

"Okay," Abigail says and puts on her trusty jacket.

For a second or two, just like last time, she's intent on simply bolting without leaving a note, but Abigail thinks better of it, finds a piece of paper, and quickly writes, "not everyone needs to choose but i think you should have chosen the other man. bye mom."