Haven Troubles

by IAmElvie

The town of Haven has its share of secret Troubles. Many in Haven will never know the truth that has been swept under the rug for many years. Others hope they are not swept away by what troubles Haven. This story will vary some from the series. If you do not mind change, read on, because you may just find yourself liking the story. I'm not an editor. Mature readers only.

4. Haven Troubles Ch4 - May

Haven

Chapter Four

1983

-May-

She knew the tension was from the Troubles. She listened. She was good at listening. She overheard things she knew no one wanted her to know. She learned that Harry Nix's family had disappeared. The Troubles were suspected to be the cause. There was also the incident of a child being abducted off the beach and dragged out into the water. No bodies were ever found. That, too, had whispers of Troubles. The worse she'd heard about thus far, was a school sanctioned camping trip that ended up with twelve students and two chaperones killed. The Haven Herald called it a horrific case of food poisoning but she'd overheard her father, Mason, talking with Garland. Jenny Mears' Trouble had been activated by a campfire horror story, unleashing toxic waves because of her fear.

The only real spot of good news came in mid-May when a man she didn't even know, Vaughn Carpenter, made a miraculous recovery from death's door. When so much was going wrong, it felt good to have something go right for a change.

After school, she rode her bike to the Haven Herald and marched in to demand answers. She'd been in there many times to read old papers archived on microfiche and to even pre-read some of their current stories - when they let her. But this wasn't about her friendship with them. This was about the truth. "We need to talk," she told them boldly as she made a beeline to their desks.

Dave's brows rose up to his slightly receding hairline. "Don't we do that every time you visit us?"

She frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. "Don't patronize me. Why are you covering up what is happening in Haven?" The two brothers looked at each other and she could swear they were communicating even though she didn't hear anything.

"Are you sure she's only in third grade?" Dave asked his brother.

She tapped her foot. "I'm in third grade because I want to be normal…and I want to be with Nathan."

"She's a clever one, Dave. Don't underestimate that one," Vince told his brother with a motion towards the girl.

Dave nodded. "Maybe we should get her opinion on the Draper story, Vince."

She sighed loudly. "Don't try to distract me. Answer my question. Why are you covering up what is happening in Haven? It was covered up back in 1955 too, wasn't it? There were strange incidents that weren't satisfactorily explained back then too. I know you two were too young to have been a part of it back then, but you sure are now."

Vince moved up to Dave's desk and sat on the corner. "Told you she was clever, Dave." He looked up under his heavy brows at her. "So, you think we are covering up the Troubles?"

She nodded. "I know you are. That camping trip that killed all those kids, it wasn't food poisoning. it was Jenny's Trouble. Why did you cover it up?"

Vince looked at his brother again. Dave gave his silent agreement. With that, his gaze returned to Lor. "Most of Haven is not Troubled. If those people learn about the Troubles, it would cause fear and panic. Adults can do rash and stupid things when they give into fear and panic, Lor."

"That's right," Dave interjected. "And then the military and the scientists come. They will take away everyone inflicted with Troubles…run tests on them…experiment on them…perhaps kill them."

"That's morbid, Dave," he frowned at his brother. "But he's right. Would you want Nathan taken away forever?"

There was something familiar in their words, an understanding she shouldn't have had – but did. "I'll do what I can to help."

Dave grinned. "Do you hear that, Vince? She wants to put us out of work," he teased.

Vince squatted down in front of the little girl. "I'll tell you what. Right now, you leave the protection of Haven to us. When you are older, maybe you can come work for us and help us protect Haven. Does that sound good to you, Lor?"

She nodded her head. She knew they saw only a little girl. They didn't know what she could do. And right now, she wasn't ready for everyone to know. "I will hold you to that." She lifted her pinky towards him and hers was engulfed in his when it curled around hers. But the promise was made and if Nathan was right, it could not be broken.

They watched her dart out the door. "I don't think she's eight years old," Dave muttered under his breath.

Vince clapped his brother on the back with a brisk laugh. "She sees more than most. We'll need to keep an eye on her." He peered out the window to see her nearly run into James and Lucy. "Something's going on."

A breeze picked up her blonde hair and blew it from her face, bringing words from a couple nearby.

James saw Lucy's gaze follow the little girl that had just scampered out of the Haven Herald. There was an odd look on his mother's face, which had drained of color. He grabbed her forearm. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she said, shaking off his hold. She wasn't sure why her body turned to ice when she saw the little girl. It made no sense. "Go talk to Vince and Dave," she told him, shooing him towards the door.

"Fine," he agreed. "We'll head to the Holloway House as soon as I return. Let's make it quick. I want to get back home to Arla." He eyed the girl as he passed her. There was something about her that drew on him. He couldn't explain the strange feeling. Perhaps Lucy was experiencing the same thing?

When the door closed behind her son, Lucy sat down on a bench near what had to be the little girl's bike. "Are you friends with Vince and Dave?"

"Yes," Lor replied with a nod. "But I still call them on their…." her words trailed off and her cheeks heated with a word she knew she shouldn't say.

"On their bullshit?" Lucy asked with a soft laugh. "I do too. I'm Lucy Ripley," she said, holding her hand out to the little girl that seemed so strangely familiar to her. Strange enough to make her heart ache. But why?

Lor took her hand. There was an odd sense of deja'vu… or a juxtaposition that shouldn't have been there. An icy child raced down her spine. She found herself fighting back a feeling of dread that tried to overwhelm her. Her instinctual reaction to the woman was curious. The woman seemed an okay sort. "I'm Loranna Valyne. But most people just call me Lor." The woman's hand tightened on hers for just a moment before she released it. "You look familiar to me." Maybe if she learned more, she'd understand the icy dread.

Lucy studied the blonde girl with the baby-blue eyes. She reminded her of herself as a child. Though, Lor had larger cheekbones and a narrower chin. Honestly, the child was prettier than she had ever been. Still… uncanny in their resemblance. Her lips twitched and then pulled into a grin. "I thought that very same thing! Maybe it's because our faces look similar to each other's." She pulled a folded piece of paper from an inside pocket of her jacket and handed it to the little girl. "Here," she said. "Take it."

Lor unfolded the paper to see a drawing of Lucy. "Vince drew this, didn't he?"

Lucy nodded. "That he did. I want you to have it, to remember the woman who looks like you," she teased. When she heard the tinkle of the bell, announcing James' return, she rose to her feet.

"Thank you, Lucy," Lor told her as she carefully folded up the sketch and slipped it into her pocket. She kicked up her bike's kickstand and straddled it. "Be careful at the Holloway House. Haven is…Troubled right now."

Lucy watched the little girl ride away her heart wrenching with an unexplained pain. She clamped down on the need to call her back. "Did Vince and Dave say anything about her?"

"They said she was a very clever little girl and to never underestimate her. Why? Did she say something to you?" James asked, curious as to why she gave any kind of damn about the little girl.

Lucy shrugged it off. "Not really, she just reminded me of me."

Yeah, that must be why the little girl seemed familiar to him. "You're right…she does look quite a bit like you. A blonder you." His lips curled up into a grin. "Do you have any more children I should know about?"

"Don't be an ass, James." She smacked his arm in mock irritation. She couldn't really be mad at him, after all, she hadn't remembered he was her child…at first. Even if his teasing bothered her, she didn't have time to be mad. She would be going away in a few months and she wouldn't see him again for a very long time. She needed whatever time she had with him.

"Ow! Ow…okay." He held up his hands in surrender. "I've got what we need, let's go."

Loranna didn't see their exchange or see the boy that watched her from the shadows with a somber, yet conflicted look on his face. Her thoughts were on protecting the people of Haven. But how could she protect them without her abilities being discovered? She would have to think on it more.

When her home came into view, she was surprised to see a police car and two unmarked cars in the driveway. She pulled the clicker from her pocket and pressed the button to open the garage door.

As she was putting away her bike, Garland Wuornos, her dad's rookie partner, opened the side door and stepped out into the garage. While he always seemed to look like the world's weight was balanced on his shoulders, tonight he looked like he'd aged a decade. Why did he look so haggard? "Are you alright?" she asked as she approached the man and settled a hand on his arm.

"I -" Her heartfelt concern for him nearly broke him, as nothing else had. "No," he replied hoarsely, "I'm not. I need to talk to you before you go inside." He raked a hand through his hair and rubbed the back of his neck. "I - I need to be the one to tell you what happened." Somehow, it had been easier telling Deb about what happened to Mason than it was to tell this little girl her new father was dead.

"Okay. I'm listening." It must be big for the man to be so flustered.

"There was an incident…"

"You mean a Trouble," she corrected him.

His bushy brows rose. "You know about the Troubles? I didn't think Mason would have…"

"He didn't have to tell me, Garland. And he wouldn't have. But I have ears and eyes – I even use them on occasion," she teased. Adults could really be funny. Children were far more intuitive than they believed them to be. At least, she thought so. And adults often overlooked their presence. "Someday soon, I'm going to work with Vince and Dave to help protect Haven." Perhaps, she shouldn't have said that, but she assumed as soon as she'd brought the pair up that he'd be talking to them. She couldn't exactly shove that cat back into the bag.

He would certainly be talking to the vaunted duo. They shouldn't be telling Lor anything. She was too young. Her words, however, had not seemed boastful in the slightest. Her tone was merely informative. "Lor…"

"I know," she said quietly. "You wanted to tell me something. It looked like you needed a moment to gather your thoughts. I thought I'd give it to you."

Despite the weight of what happened, she'd nearly succeeded in making him smile. She looked like she was eight – but she talked like she had years of experience on him. "I appreciate your thoughtfulness, Lor. But what I'm about to tell you will be difficult to hear. And it had to come from me. Mason would want that. There was an incident today. Six people were killed. Mason – your father died in the line of duty, protecting Haven citizens. I'm so sorry." There. The words had spilled out faster than he'd intended but he'd needed to rip off the band-aid. For some reason, telling her had been one of the hardest things he'd ever had to do. Harder than some of the things he'd done and been witness to in 'Nam. There was just something about that little girl. But damned if he knew what it was.

For a moment, all she could do was stare at him, his words beating against her like incessant little bees, stinging harder with each passing moment. When her bottom lip began to tremble, she tightened it. Maybe her world was shaken. Maybe a part of her would never be the same again but she had survived far worse. And she would survive this too. She hugged her father's partner, knowing that he needed it even more than she did. And if he clung to her too tightly, she didn't let him know. When he released her, she stepped back and patted his arm. "Thank you for telling me, Garland. You are right, my father would have wanted you to be the one to tell me. Now, if you will excuse me, my mother needs me right now."

He took a step away from the door and watched her silently as she squared her small shoulders and walked into the house. Damned if she hadn't impressed the hell out of him. She didn't hide the pain; it was there in her eyes. But she was determined to be there for everyone else that needed her. She should not have to bear that kind of burden at her tender age. He wished he could erase whatever happened to her before she arrived here. She deserved to have a childhood. From what he could see, the fates had fucked over that little girl. He suspected it was too late to give her any kind of a childhood but he was damned well going to make sure Nathan got to be a child. One way or another, he would ensure Max didn't steal that from Nathan. With a heavy heart and a sigh, he followed the little girl into the house.

Loranna found her mother seated on the sofa, her head buried in her hands. One of the detectives that had been seated next to her rose as she approached. She nodded to the detective. She sat down next to her mother and hugged her.

Deborah clung to her little girl – the only family she had left. She could not imagine being able to survive her husband's death if she was alone with her grief. She knew she needed to be strong for her little girl. And she would be. Tomorrow. Today, she needed to grieve.

-BREAK ONE-

You would think May was done with them. But the Troubles didn't care about the dead. Or about grief. James and Lucy had found the bodies of Mrs. Holloway and her two young daughters in the Holloway House. It seemed to be murder-suicide, or so the whispered she'd heard proclaimed. There were also whispers that the husband's spirit possessed the house and would not let anyone retrieve the bodies. She found that utterly fascinating. But a healthy dose of fear kept her from investigating the house herself. It was definitely something she wanted to look into when grew up a bit more.

One good thing happened in May. Garland made a giant career leap from rookie beat cop to detective. He had apparently proven himself when he saved Haven citizens and took down the Troubled man who had killed her father along with five others. His insight tore the case wide open. Without him, it would have remained unsolved. She liked Garland and was glad he was promoted to a far more exciting job.

She quietly pushed the Herald's door open, not wanting the voices she'd heard to stop talking. And they always stopped when she came around.

"Roland was insane, Vince. He turned the house against his own family! He wouldn't let them leave. If we'd have only gotten there a couple of days sooner. We might have been able to save them!"

Vince clicked his tongue. "Or he might have turned the house against you and James. Right Dave?"

Dave nodded in agreement. "Right, Vince. If you two hadn't thought to destroy the mirrors and intercoms, we might have been finding your bodies next."

Vince shot a dark look at his brother. "That was grim, Dave. But his point is valid." He held his hand up and tilted his head. "We are not alone."

Dave saw Lor skipping into the room as if she were an innocent child. He doubted she'd ever been a child. And the jury was still out on her innocence. "Of course, it is Lor, Vince, who else can get around our -"

Vince scowled at his brother and waved him to silence. He had a smile firmly planted on his face when he turned to the little girl. "She is far to precocious to let anything stand in her way, Dave. We didn't expect to see you this soon after…"

It was Dave's turn to scowl at his brother. "What Vince means is that it is good to see you again, Lor."

"Thank you, Dave. Life doesn't stop with tragedy, Vince."

The taller man regretfully nodded. He suspected she'd learned that at far too young. He'd give almost anything to know her story. "No, it does not, Lor. And you are always welcome here at the Herald. I hope I didn't make you feel otherwise." When she waved him off, his brows rose and he found himself grinning.

She looked up at Lucy and placed her hand on the woman's arm. "It is unfortunate about the Holloway family, but I am glad you and James were able to get out of the house." The fact that she still felt the icy dread alarmed her but she couldn't put a finger on the why of it.

"She heard a lot, Vince."

"Of course, she did, Dave. Our Lor's a wily one. I don't suppose we need to tell you…" his voice trailed off at her incredulous look. "I didn't think so." His gaze shifted between Lucy and Lor. He shot Dave a glance and motioned slightly with his head. His brother's answering minute nod affirmed it. Dave noticed the resemblance too.

Lucy patted the little girl's hand. "I am sorry you had to hear that. Your days should be filled with rainbows and lollipops not with the Troubles."

Loranna snorted, a small giggle escaping her lips. "What am I, five? The Troubles are a danger to everyone, even if they are blissfully unaware. I am going to do whatever it takes to help this town, Lucy. I might be the only one who can." She pulled her hand back and cleared her throat. She hadn't meant to say that.

Lucy squatted down a bit to be eye level with the little girl and took her hand once more. "Why would you say that?" For some reason, touching the little girl had a calming effect. Her body hummed with a connection she didn't understand. A connection she didn't want to break. As if she'd found something she thought was lost. And while there was a deep sense of familiarity when she looked at the girl, she still was no closer to understanding why. Who was this little girl?

She lifted her hand, her small fingers grazing the woman's familiar cheek. Why do you affect me so? How could she tell her a truth she didn't even really understand herself. "I don't know, Lucy. It is something I feel inside. The answer is a part of me but just out of reach."

Lucy nodded and rose to her feet, squeezing the girl's hand before reluctantly releasing it, cutting the connection between them. To keep from touching the little girl again, she laced her own fingers together. As answers go, it was a non-answer. And much like herself as well as Vince and Dave, the little girl was good at giving non-answers. They were all kindred spirits, tiptoeing around secrets. It made her wonder just how many secrets a little girl could have. It saddened her that she had any at her age. All that she'd learned about the little girl was that she'd come from a very bad situation and that she'd found a loving home with the Valyne's. And now, she'd lost her new father.

Unable to help herself, she reached out for the girl and pulled her into a tight embrace. She would give anything to be able to stay. Her son needed her and somewhere deep down, she knew this little girl needed her too.

She felt warm tears on her cheeks and flushed when she noticed Vince and Dave were staring at her curiously. How could the men possibly understand her connection to this little girl when she didn't understand it herself? "It's not fair…" she mouthed at the two men. They could make of that whatever they wanted to. Now, more than ever, she did not want to back into the Barn. Nearly to the point of damning Haven with her need to remain.

She inhaled deeply and quickly wiped her eyes as she stepped back. "For as long as I am able…I'll be there anytime you need me." She snagged a business card off Vince's desk and jotted down her phone number. Then, followed that by penning a second number. "Call me any time you want to see me or just talk. Leave a message if I don't pick up. I'll get back to you. And if there comes a day when I don't… just know I'm thinking about you and will come again…when I can." It tore at her that she knew she'd forget the little girl in time. She was never allowed to keep her memories. Instinctually, she understood that her fate and the little girl's were entwined in some way.

Loranna took the card and then looked up at the brunette in confusion. "Is something going to happen?"

Her responding smile was tight and wry. "Something always happens in Haven during the Troubles."

She might be only eight, but she knew the woman wasn't going to tell her any more. Doing as Lucy had done, she grabbed a business card from the desk, laid it on Vince's thigh and wrote down her number. She handed the pen back to Vince and then held the card out to Lucy. "Call me anytime. I mean that, Lucy. I'm here for you too." Even if there was an unsettling and erroneous fear in her gut.

"I nearly forgot!" Loranna opened the flap of the leather crossover she was wearing and pulled out a few pages, neatly typed, and handed them to Vince. "It's a story about my dad - the hero he was to me… and to this town. I'd like to see it in the next addition of the paper."

With that said, she nodded at the adult. "I will go so you can resume your conversation. But you will see me again soon," she said with a grin.

She could feel the weight of their stares until she turned the corner and walked out the door. She lifted her face to the warmth of the sun.

Duke caught sight of her when she stepped out of the Herald. He knew she hadn't seen him when she closed her eyes and lifted her face up. God, he missed her. He even found he missed Nathan. His friends shoved at him and he tore his gaze away from her with a laugh, shoving them back as they continued down the street. He fought the need to turn and look at her again. He'd lost her and the best part of himself that fateful day.

The following day, Loranna received a call from Lucy. With a grin she told her mother that she was meeting up with Lucy for ice cream.

Deborah nodded to her daughter. "Call me if you are going to be out late." While she didn't know much about Lucy, she knew that Vince and Dave cared about Lor and they had vouched for Lucy and James. That was good enough for her. Plus, the time alone with a wine glass in the tub sounded like heaven. She tried to be strong for Loranna, but she suspected Loranna was the one being strong for her. Regardless, the only moments she truly gave into her grief were in the tub and in bed. She needed those private moments to unwind.

Lucy raised a hand to her forehead to shield her eyes from the sunlight when she heard the bike. A smile lit up her face when the girl parked her bike. She rose from the bench, but before she could hold her hand out to the little girl, someone called out the girl's name.

Loranna looked across the street and waved at Nathan. As soon as he darted across, he was hugging her. When she pulled back, she introduced him to Lucy.

Lucy bit back her disappointment and smiled at both of them. "We were about to get some ice cream; would you like to join us?"

He took a step back, but Lor pulled him back. "Of course, you will."

They ordered their ice cream and chose to eat it outside. Lucy observed the children. There was an easy comradery between them, almost as if they knew what the other was going to do or think. "You two are very close."

She nodded. "We are. We've been best friends since he saved me." She told the woman how they'd met on the snowy hill. And how he'd kept her warm enough to stay alive until help came."

"Why didn't you have a coat on?"

Yeah…that. "I don't really remember how I ended up in the snow. It was almost like I woke up there." She unconsciously reached down and rubbed the ring on the chain around her neck. "I remember running from the predator – someone chasing me and then I was just there. No one ever discovered what happened to me," she admitted.

Lucy glanced around at the odd humming sound, but couldn't see anything that could be causing it. With a shrug she looked down at the ring the child was rubbing. Another pull of familiarity. "Can I see it?" she asked as she leaned closer.

Though she refused to take off the necklace, she did lean closer to the woman and held out the ring.

Lucy studied it. There was some writing on it, but she couldn't read the language. The ring felt warm and made her fingers tingle. A moment of intense fear caused her to drop the ring and sit back. "What does it say?" Curious despite the unreasonable fear.

"I don't know. I think I used to – but I don't remember my past." She cleared her throat. "I think, maybe, that is for the best. Some doors should remain closed."

Nathan settled his hand on her thigh, since hers was filled with an ice cream cone. He just needed her to know he was there for her.

Lucy grunted. "Especially, some Barn doors."

"The bigger the door, the more it hides?"

The woman laughed at the irony of those words. "I couldn't have said it better."

When James arrived, the woman rose and hugged the little girl. "Keep her safe," she told the little boy.

He nodded, very serious. "With my life."

Lor watched the pair leave and then frowned at Nathan. "Please don't ever say that again. I would be lost if anything happened to you."

Nathan stayed with her the rest of the day, leaving only when Garland arrived to take him home.

-BREAK TWO-

Late, the following afternoon, there was a knock on her window. Assuming it was Nathan, she was caught off-guard to see Duke's face looming against the glass. "Go away, Duke. I can't forgive you for what you did to Nathan."

Those words stung, though he'd expected them. "I know, Lor. Some things can't be forgiven." He shrugged. "I can't forgive myself either."

Her heart lurched, the sincerity and misery were etched on his face. Damn him! No. He would not flash his puppy dog brown eyes and make her forgive him. It wasn't like the other times. He'd crossed a line. Playing nice wasn't going to work this time. It wasn't. In that, she had to hold firm. He'd put Nathan's life in danger over a stupid, thoughtless, malicious prank. "What do you want, Duke?" she asked in a voice as cold as she could make it.

Why had he come here? Why couldn't he let her go? It's what she wanted. Hell, it was what she deserved. She didn't deserve a friend like him. A friend who would stab another in the back. No, she was too good for the like of him. And yet, he had to see her. The only real acceptance and joy in his life had been with her. There was no one else for him to turn to. "I need to talk to you… something…happened."

She caught the tear sliding down his cheek before he turned away to hide the fact that it had been there. The devastated look was more than she could stomach. "I'll come outside. We'll talk while we walk."

She turned away from the window to put on her shoes. She'd never seen him look so lost or so miserable. The fact that he did not even try to hide it – or could not hide it, made her believe it when he told her something had happened. Not just something. But something big. There was little she could do about her stupid heart and the concerned worry she didn't want to feel. Why couldn't he just be dead to her? Why did she have to be such a marshmallow?

She left a note taped to the fridge to let her mother know she'd gone down to the beach. Frustrated with both him and herself, she'd had to stop herself from slamming the front door.

Uncertain of his welcome, he stayed well back from the door. Her frown pierced his heart. Not that he would ever admit that. "Where are we going?"

Releasing a heavy breath, she firmed her resolve. "To the beach," she replied matter of fact. She pursed her lips and frowned again. "Fine. Get behind me on my bike."

Thankful for the length of the banana seat that would allow her to be seated as well, she stood up on the pedals to get them going. It was freeing to have the wind blowing through her hair. Everything was so full of life, compared to the void. It didn't matter if she was inside or out; there was life in everything, even in dust motes dancing on the rays of sunlight through a window.

When they reached the parking area, they hopped off the bike and she settled it into the bike rack. The silence remained, uncomfortable and strained until they reached the bottom of the steps that led onto the beach. Few people looked their way or acknowledged them. "What happened, Duke?" she finally asked, uncertain how long he would remain silent.

His gazed dropped down to watch his feet, avoiding the rocks as they walked along the beach. The silence hadn't bothered him. He'd been enjoying just being near her again. There was a warmth in her that was there even if she hated him. "My dad came home late last night."

She waited for him to continue, but the silence dragged on. "He was injured again?"

Duke kicked a large rock with the toe of his sneaker, needing the pain to focus him. "Yes… but it was… too late. I tried to save him." He took her arm and halted her. "I did, Lor! I tried!" He wasn't sure if he was trying to convince her or himself more. Maybe he didn't like his father but he'd always dreamed of making him proud one day. "He refused to let me call for help!"

Of all the things he might have told her, she never would have imagined this. She did the only thing she could. She wrapped her arms around him and held him close. "I know you tried, Duke. You're an ass; not heartless – mostly," she amended.

Duke snorted, holding back an inappropriate laugh. "Thanks," he said sarcastically but clung to her all the same. She was his lifeline. And maybe that wasn't right or fair to her but she was the first person who ever gave a damn about him and she would always be his lifeline, no matter how much he fucked up when it came to her.

Lucy heard the voices and slipped the gun back into hiding. She couldn't kill James anyway. There had to be another way. That was when she realized she was familiar with one of the voices. Wrong or not, she hid, ducking behind a wooden pylon, surrounded by large, heavy rocks. She rested her back against the hard wood, staring at its twin a few meters away. Remnants of a large dock. Why had she thought it would be a good idea to wear white pants to the beach? While she waited for James to return, she listened.

Loranna pulled back and took his hand as they continued walking. "I'm sorry, Duke. I know what it is like to lose a father."

He grunted. "Yours was nicer than mine. You never had to doubt if he loved you." He winced at how that sounded. "I'm sorry, Lor. I didn't mean it that way. I wanted to be there for you…but I knew you didn't want to see me."

Would she have felt that way? Maybe. But grief could turn a person in on themselves and sometimes they needed something harsh to pull them out of it. Because she didn't know whether she would have wanted to see him or not, she said nothing. "Where will you live?"

He shrugged, acting as if that didn't scare the shit the of him. "I would imagine some Haven family or another will put in to foster me." He grunted. "Or be forced to. Haven doesn't have an orphanage."

She halted in her tracks and pulled his arm to turn him towards her. "We have a three-bedroom house. My mom loves children and having another around would ease the burden of losing dad." She cleared her throat and gave him a hard look. "But not the mean Duke. Never the mean Duke. If you want me to ask my mom, I will. But not for him. Do you understand? He and your old friends are not welcome in our house. I know it's not fair, but this is an ultimatum. If you want me to ask my mom to foster you, I will. But you won't see them again. And if they force the issue then you will stand up to them and tell them you don't need them in your life anymore. If they harass you, then I will deal with them."

She held up a hand to still his words. This is not a game for me. You hurt someone I love. You. Hurt. Nathan. That is not okay. And this is not me forgiving you. I'm not sure if I ever can. I'm not sure if I even should. But this is me holding out an olive branch. This is me caring what happens to you. If I am going to hurt Nathan to help you, then I need to know I've done the right thing. If you accept my offer – don't make me regret it… because, I will make your life a living hell. Think it over and let me -"

His life was already a living hell. She had been the one warm light he had. And this was his chance to prove he could change. "I don't need to think it over, Lor. You are the only one that has ever cared about me – even when I didn't deserve it. I don't want to disappoint you, Lor, and I know I will. I'm a fuck up. I always have been. But I will tell you I won't hurt anyone like that again. I didn't even like me when I was doing it. And those boys are not my friends. I've always known that." He shook his head. "I don't need them anymore." He knew he would fuck up. Might even fuck up a lot. But he would try his best to be the kind of friend she deserved. Someone worthy of her.

Lucy waved at James as he drew near, the sweater she'd asked him to fetch from the car for her slung over his arm, and stood up. At his curious look, she just shrugged. How could she explain to him when she didn't fully understand why she felt the need to eavesdrop on the kids. With a wink at James, she turned and walked towards the nearby children. "I thought I heard your voice, Lor. And I believe she called you Duke?" She studied the boy and saw belligerence leap into his eyes before it faded away. So, this was Simon's boy Duke. A wave of guilt hit her. She and Vince had been the cause of Simon's death. They'd done what they had to do but it didn't sit well that a little boy had suffered from it. "I'm sorry for what happened to your father. But I'd take her offer, were I you – and try not to fuck up."

"Sticking your nose into everyone's business again, Lucy?" James teased his mother. Not that anyone knew or would even believe she was his mother. Not when they were close to the same age.

She grabbed the tip of her nose. "I'm surprised it is not bigger."

"By all rights it should be!" James agreed, handing her the sweater.

She laughed softly and put it on. "Lor, Duke, this is James. He's my cohort in crime."

"I have one of those too," Lor snickered, motioning to Duke.

"Come on you two, we'll head back and get something sweet to eat." Lucy couldn't help but wonder where the Nathan boy was. He and Lor seemed pretty close. She also noticed there was a troubled look in the girl's eyes every time she looked at Duke. There was a story there, she wondered if she would hear about it.

James followed until he realized he'd left something behind. "Oh, shit! I'll catch up. I need to grab my soda." He'd set it down when his mother asked him to get her sweater for her.

Detective Garland Wuornos finally had the woman in his sights. A wanted petty criminal and he'd found her by sheer luck driving by the beach. He slammed on the brakes and jumped out of the car. "Barbra Colton! Stop!" She disappeared into a thinny and reappeared further down the beach. "Damnit!" he grumbled as he hopped back in the car. Maybe he could still catch her.

Needing a break from writing and bored without his brother, Dave chose to take a walk down the beach and clear his head. A woman darted by him; he watched in fascination as she jumped through a tear that appeared in front of her. Curiosity drew him closer. He reached a hand out to touch it. She hadn't seemed to be afraid of it. Perhaps it was perfectly safe. He wondered what Vince would think about it.

Something wrenched him towards the tear and tried to back away. With a strangled cry, he was sucked into it. Cold and dark assaulted him, pressed against in an unforgiving embrace. All thought fled as the dark took him under.

Hearing the commotion, the three turned to see a woman, followed by Dave, stepping into some sort of tear. The woman exited further down the beach and kept running. Dave stumbled out of the tear, disoriented, his body jerking as if a puppet on strings. Still, Lucy was not alarmed. This was Dave, after all.

James was just rising back up from grabbing his soda. She gasped, gripping the kids tighter, when Dave picked up a rock and slammed it into the back of her son's head. As James turned, Dave shoved him back against the pylon she'd been hiding behind, his clawed hand in her son's face. "James!" she screamed.

A smokey substance was pulled out through her son's eyes, as if Dave had inhaled it into himself.

"No…" Lor whispered, feeling the cold and dark from here. She stepped back, but Lucy did not relinquish her grip. "We need to go – we need to go…he can't find me!" she sobbed. "I can't go back!" Her voice had gradually gotten louder until the last few words were shouted.

Dave tilted his head, his gaze falling on the little girl. A smile spread on his lips. "You are mine, Lor… Come home…"

She shivered and tore herself from Lucy's grasp when Dave's body jerk-walked in her direction. "Run!" she yelled to the others. More people were rushing over to see what all the commotion was about. "Run!" she yelled louder but no one was listening.

"Duke – I will distract him. Get Lucy to safety!" Oh, God, what was she doing? She ran in Dave's direction and grabbed her ring. A tear opened in front of her and looked back one last time before stepping through. If she didn't make it out… she wished could have at least seen Nathan and her mom one last time.

The cold and dark closed around her, threatening to suffocate her once more. For once, she did not feel the Predator. She was alone in the cold and dark. But she knew what she had to do because she'd seen the woman do it. She pictured where she wanted to go and a tear opened up. She stumbled out of it into the bright sun and barely avoided crashing into Dave.

But the man before her did not have Dave's eyes. The man's entire eyes were black with a smokey green swirling within them. The Predator. She could feel its menacing presence. It was no longer in the void. It was in Dave. "You want me?"

"Mine…" it hiss-rumbled through Dave's stiff lips.

"I'm going home," she told it.

It tilted its head when it noticed the growing crowd. That would not do. It spread its arms and propelled a wave of misty aether outward; it expanded as it swept across the beach. Then it drew itself out of its minion and followed the girl back through the thinny. She would finally be home where she belonged.

Loranna pictured the portal closing. Then quickly stepped through another, picturing it closing behind her as well. The Predator once more trapped in the Void. Though why it would have thought the Void was her home was a mystery she never wanted to solve.

Lucy grabbed the little girl and hugged her close when she stepped out of the thinny. "Lor, what were you thinking? He could have killed you too!"

Duke shook his head in confusion. "What are you talking about, Lucy? Who could have killed Lor? And who was killed?"

"You don't remember?" Lor asked incredulously.

"Remember what?"

"My – James!" Lucy released the little girl and raced down the beach to her son. Her feet faltered and she came to a stop, unable to walk the last few steps to him. His sightless eyes told her everything she needed to know. Her son was dead.

She felt the children grab her frozen hands and heard distant screams as others caught sight of her son's body. Still, she stared, unable to take her eyes off of him.

She was unaware how long she stood there, but the crowd had grown; the police were there and she was vaguely aware of bright flashes. She latched onto a thought and brought it out into the light. The Barn! She needed to get her son to the Barn. It would surely heal him!

Garland called out her name. The kids waved him over, but Lucy remained silent. It was spreading through the beach crowd that someone had murdered the Colorado Kid. No one on the beach could even remember the young man's name. But it was obvious the young man was important to her and that her utter stillness meant she was in shock. Why could he not remember who the Colorado Kid was? He slipped an arm around her and turned her away from sight of his body. "Let's go," he told the kids. "We're going down to the station."

-BREAK THREE-

Once at the station, he put the three in separate rooms. He settled the children in interrogation rooms, with promises of drinks and snacks, and his office for Lucy. Knowing the children would be taken care of, he poured a cup of coffee for him and Lucy and sat down heavy in his office chair. "What happened out there, Lucy?"

She wrapped her frozen hands around the hot mug and shot him an irritated look. "My son is dead, Garland. That's what happened."

Her son? The Colorado Kid was her son? How? They were about the same age. Still… it felt like her words were familiar to him. Like everything he knew was just out of reach. He settled his arm on the desk and reached out to her, motioning with his fingers for her to give him her hand. When she did, he wrapped his warm, solid hand over hers. "How did he die?"

She glanced back at the door to find it securely shut. "The kids and I were ahead of James; he ran back to grab his drink. There was a woman that created a thinny and then ran off down the beach, leaving it active. Something stepped out of the thinny after her and ripped my son's lifeforce out of his body through his eyes. That's what happened, Garland! I watched my son die and I did nothing to save him!"

His heart broke for her. "I am sorry you had to see something like that. It cuts deeper when it is someone you love. But from what you told me, it sounds like it happened quickly. What could you have done?"

Her empty hand fisted and she brought it down on the desk, relishing the pain, giving her soul a moment of reprieve. "I was his mother! I should have done something! Hell, Lor…" her voice trailed off. She hadn't meant to bring the little girl into this at all. No, she had to protect the little girl.

"What did Lor do?" he asked, his thumb rubbing across her skin.

"She got me moving." That, at least, was the truth. But not the whole of it.

Garland studied her for a moment. "No one else on the beach remembers anything. But you do?"

She shrugged. "That thing made everyone forget. The Troubles don't affect me, Garland."

"What exactly was that thing, Lucy? What did it look like?"

She shook her head. She was not going to throw Dave under the bus. "I don't know. It didn't seem human. It was… like a smokey energy. Dark." She shivered. "Unimaginably dark."

Nodding, Garland squeezed her hand and rose. "I'll be back in a moment."

Leaving his office, he entered interrogation room one, where Duke, with a petulant expression on his face, sat in a chair, arms akimbo on the table, tap, tap tapping the table top with his finger over and over again.

"Duke," he said in a serious tone and settled down on the chair opposite of the youngster. He'd known Duke for some time. He and Nathan were friends once. Close friends. But he was not the same kid he once was. Duke could be a troublemaker. Though, more the go-along-with-the-pack mentality than the mastermind. "I want to discuss what happened today."

"I don't remember."

Though the kid was trying to look tough, he could see the underlying fear. "You didn't do anything wrong, son. You're not in trouble. I'm just trying to piece together what happened out on that beach today."

He stopped tapping the table and slapped his hand down on it. "I told you I don't know! I was talking to Lor and then… nothing. Lucy shouted out someone's name. James, I think. She ran to a body. We followed. We tried to comfort her. I don't even know who… that was."

Garland nodded. "I believe you, son." It was the same story everyone on the beach told. No one remembered a damn thing. In fact, not a soul in Haven remembered James, including himself. Just what the hell happened? Had that thing truly been able to make everyone forget the young man? It seemed crazy. But Haven had always had its share of crazy. "Just a little bit longer and you can go home."

"I don't have a home," he grumbled as the cop left the room. He resumed tapping his finger on the table.

Garland entered interrogation room two and smiled at Lor as he sat down. "Sorry, to keep you waiting, Lor. Just trying to figure out what happened out there today." He raked a hand through his hair. "It's been a hell of a day."

"Yes," she agreed. "It has. Did you learn anything?"

He settled his forearms on the table and leaned forward. "Sorry, Lor. That's not how this works." He grinned at her. "I'm the detective. You're the journalist. I ask the questions. Yeah? You write the answers."

She smiled back. "I think we both know a good journalist is also a good detective."

He laughed as he leaned back into his chair and laced his hands behind his head. It was so easy to forget just how intelligent and wily she was. She had the blonde-haired, blue-eyed angelic look down pat. It was so easy to underestimate her, even when you knew she is more than she seemed. "Touché." He cleared his throat and settled his arms back on the table. "I need you to walk me through what happened on the beach. Start at the beginning… please." He tapped a cigarette out of the pack and lit up. Enjoying the feel of the smoke curling down his throat and filling his lungs. Appreciating the zing he got from each puff.

With a sigh, Loranna tore the nasty cigarette from his mouth and stabbed it out in the ashtray on the table. She waved her arm to dissipate the stench, but it didn't help. Not only that but now her fingers were stained with the nasty scent. "That's really gross, Garland. It stinks to high… it stinks. And it will kill you. And me… and everyone around you. So, don't be an idiot. Somethings are not worth the price paid – and smoking is one of them."

Why did he feel like a little girl just soundly put him in his place? To appease the little girl, he pulled a small package from his shirt pocket, pried out a toothpick and stuck it in his mouth. "Since killing you is not at the top of my to-do list, I hope this is okay," he said, carefully flipping the toothpick in his mouth with his tongue.

"Of course – that will only give you splinters," she teased before the weight of the day's events came back to her. She released a slow breath and nodded. Maybe she wasn't ready to talk about this but she knew she had to. She instinctively trusted Garland, though some things she would keep to herself. "Duke came to my house around 3:30PM. I haven't talked to Duke since… I refused to be his friend after he hurt Nathan. I was surprised it was him at my window instead of Nathan. He said something happened. The terrified look on his face prompted me to find out what happened. We took my bike down the beach and we talked. Eventually, we bumped into Lucy and James. We talked for a while longer and decided we would go grab a snack. James told us to go on and that he would catch up. He needed to get something he'd left behind. So, we left him. We left him, Garland!"

She sighed, her hands fisting. She had to force herself to uncurl them. "It wasn't long after that when a woman opened up a thinny and ran inside of it. She ran out of anther tear further down the beach near James and just kept running. Uh – something stepped out of the tear behind her. It killed James and then turned towards us. I will never forget its cold smile. Cold and dark. It wanted me, Garland. It told me I was his. I was so afraid. But I couldn't let it hurt anyone else. I couldn't…" she shook her head, wiping at a tear that rolled down her cheek.

Garland handed her a tissue, his heart going out to her when she took it from him with shaky fingers. "I'm sure it didn't really want you, honey. Maybe it just seemed like that in the heat of the moment," he tried to assure her.

"Thank you, Garland. I appreciate the platitude. But I know he wanted me. He has been after me far longer than I can remember. I hid from him in the cold and dark. And he found me here. I knew he would kill Lucy and Duke to get to me. He would kill anyone who kept me from him." She settled her small hand over his. "I couldn't let that happen, Garland. Maybe if he killed me too, that would be enough for him – maybe he wouldn't hurt anyone else."

She patted his hand once more to reassure him and laced her hands together again. "I told Duke to get Lucy to safety and ran from them. I walked into the thinny expecting to be trapped but I had to do something. I felt the cold and dark leech into me as if I'd never left. It was different this time. I could not feel the Predator. Even without his presence in the Void, it was claustrophobic and terrifying. When I saw the light from the second tear, I ran until I could feel the warmth of the sun on my face again."

She shivered. "I will never forget the look in its eyes when I saw it for the first time. I'd never really seen it before. I always hid. I don't – I don't think it's sane. I wonder if it ever was…" she nearly whispered before clearing her throat. "I taunted it. I needed to get it to follow me, even if that meant I'd be trapped in the cold and dark with it again. He has always been my cross to bear – I could not let him hurt anyone else. Not because of me."

She took a sip of the root beer that had been brought to her earlier. "That is when he pushed out a wave of aether… or I think it was aether. Whatever it was, I think that is what made people forget. I leapt back through the thinny, knowing he'd follow. Because he always follows. Always hunts. He is the Predator. The thinny closed up behind me. I stumbled out of the second thinny, ready to go back in if it did not close quick enough. But it did and he was trapped again. I don't know if he will forgive me for that. I don't know if he is even capable of rational thought."

He'd expected to hear the same confusion and memory issues that the rest of the beach goers had. He did not expect to get real answers from her. She'd surprised him again. Like Lucy, the Troubles did not seem to affect her. Why? It was obvious she resembled Lucy. Her chin was narrower and higher but there was a definite resemblance. Lucy never mentioned having a daughter too. So, if she wasn't her daughter – who was she? "That…is a lot of information, Lor. You called it a he and said you got a good look at it. Can you tell me what it looked like?"

She spun the root beer bottle between her palms. "Smoke? Energy? Aether? I don't know. But I don't think it had a real body. I don't think it needed to. I called it a he because it felt like a he to me."

Her story lined up with Lucy's, though far more in depth. "What is aether?"

She shrugged. "I used to know a lot. I have forgotten almost everything. I think it is a substance from the Void. But I have forgotten so much…"

"And what is a thinny?"

"They are tears in the… veil, I suppose." She scrunched up her nose trying to focus on memories that slipped away from her grasp, little more than misty residue. "I have felt a few around Haven. None open like we saw on the beach. I would like to know how she did it."

"Me too," Garland grumbled. "And what is this void? Is that where you came from?" He vaguely remembered her mentioning something like that when they'd first found her.

"Yes, it is all that I remember of my past. But I don't truly understand it anymore. Those answers have been lost to me, Garland. What I have seen of it is cold and dark. I didn't want to go back," she admitted, wiping fresh tears off her cheeks. "Haven saved me… I wanted to save it."

She came from the void. It explained so much. Why she had no parents. Why there were no missing child reports. Why her picture wasn't on a milk carton. Why their investigation into her went nowhere. Garland reached out and took her small hand in his. "It sounds like you did, Lor. But do me a favor… Don't do that again. We will find another way."

She felt a slight rumble under her feet, her head tilting at Garland's look of concentration, followed by relief when the vibrations faded. "You are Troubled. It would seem we all have our burdens to bear."

He looked over at her in surprise but nodded. "Yes, we do." He cleared his throat. The child saw entirely too much. "Are you ready to go home?"

She nodded. "Yes, but I would like to call my mom first."

"Of course. You may call her from my office."

Lucy, however, wasn't in the office. Garland left the little girl to make her call and started looking for Lucy. One of the officers motioned towards interrogation room one and he inclined his head in thanks. With his hand on the knob, he opened the door and leaned into the room. The two sat close together, in a deep, quiet discussion. Duke was visibly shaken and wan, Lucy had a strained, pained look on her face. He wasn't sure either would clue him in to what they were discussing. One thing he did notice was the locket that hung around Lucy's neck was missing. As far as he knew, she never took it off. "I'll be taking everyone home now."

"You, personally? Or one of your men?" she asked.

One corner of his lips lifted. "Me personally. No job is too big or too small for Detective Wuornos, ma'am." he teased. The small, answering smile on her face had been worth it. Even if it didn't light up her eyes. It was still more than he'd hoped for. Only time would ease her pain over the loss of her son. Time, she didn't have. But, if everything went as it should, she would not remember the pain. Maybe that was for the best. Until that time, he would be there for her. His heart constricted in pain. He didn't want to see her go. Despite his feelings for Beth, who was not letting him in all the way, he'd found himself falling under Lucy's spell and letting her go was going to be one hell of a difficult thing to do.

Loranna looked over at the trio when they appeared at the door. She said goodbye to her mother and hopped off the corner of his desk. "We need to pick up Duke's things. He's coming home with me. Mom's going to foster him."

Garland's eyes widened. "I'm not sure…" He cast a guilty look at Duke and then nodded. For now, he'd let it go. But he would have someone keep watch on the Valyne household. With everything Deb and Lor were going through, they did not need Duke's kind of trouble. "Let's go."

By the time Lucy was dropped off at her place and they'd picked up whatever Duke wanted to keep, her mother had already aired out the guest bedroom and had it ready for Duke.

"Welcome to our home, Duke. Lor will take you upstairs and show you to your room. If you need anything, let me know." Deborah watched the kids scamper up the stairs and she turned to Garland, noticing the frown on his face. Since she was several years younger than her husband had been, that made around the same age as Garland, so she could hardly give him the mother stare and have it be believable. "I know what I'm getting into, Garland. I know some of the things Duke has done. Maybe having someone that cares will make a difference?"

"Maybe…," he answered noncommittally as he looked over at the stairs the children had ascended.

She lifted her hand and placed it on the side of his arm. "I appreciate your concern and I know Mason would too – but you worry too much about too many things, Garland. You'll grow old before your time if you can't learn to let some of that go." She squeezed his arm and released it.

"I'll try," he told her, though they both doubted the validity of that claim. "Call me if you have any concerns. I mean it, Deb. Anytime – day or night."

She smiled warmly at Garland. "You are a good friend; you always have been. But I'm not your burden."

"You're not a burden, Deb. So, shut the hell up and call me if you need anything," he scolded.

"Go on – get out of here, you big lug. I've got a boy to get to know."

"Be careful, Deb. I mean it."

"He's just a boy, Garland." She opened her front door and motioned with her head. "Now, shoo."

After the detective left, Deborah hurried up the stairs and leaned against the doorframe watching the kids put away what little Duke had.

After he hung up his last shirt, something he didn't usually do, he pulled the locket out from under his shirt. "Lucy gave this to me."

Loranna studied the locket with a frown. "I've never seen her without it. Why…" her voice trailed off.

"I'm not sure why she gave it to me. But she wouldn't let me give it back. She made me promise to never take it off. To never lose it. I pinkie promised her that I wouldn't. No one has ever given me a gift like this before, Lor."

Deb cleared her throat. "That's going to change. We're going shopping in the morning." Not only would she be getting him a new wardrobe but she would make sure he had an Atari console of his own. She knew how much the kids enjoyed playing it and with the gulf currently between Lor and Duke, she wanted to make sure he had something of his own.

Exhausted from the long and tragic day, Lor skipped dinner and fell into bed, tossing and turning from nightmares of the Void that assaulted her relentlessly until a comforting warmth caused the nightmares to flee on sparking hooves and she fell into a restorative slumber.

-BREAK FOUR-

The warmth was still at her back when the light peeking through the window woke her. It took her a moment to realize her mother hadn't woken her up because she was staying home from school today. Just as Duke would be. Duke! She turned over to the familiar face of Nathan. She was relieved Duke had not crawled into bed with her. His arms tightened around her in his sleep and she smiled softly, dropped her arm around him and closed her eyes for a bit longer.

She wasn't sure how much longer she slept but her mother still hadn't come in to get her for breakfast, so she suspected she'd wasn't asleep for long. But this time, Nathan's blue eyes were watching her when she cracked hers open. His young face was serious, his jaw tight. She lifted her hand and stroked his cheek with the tips of her fingers. "What is wrong?"

"Mr. Wuornos came over to talk to my mom last night. They didn't know I was there. I heard what happened yesterday." He frowned at the pain that tore through him when he'd heard she'd been with Duke. He should have been with her. He'd promised to always be there for her.

"There is more to the story." She told him everything, from the moment Duke knocked on her window to the moment she fell into bed. She told him things she hadn't even told Garland. "It wasn't Dave, though! The Predator has never controlled me – I didn't know he could wear people like some kind of… meat suit. Of course, I never let him catch me." Her gaze locked onto his. "I told you this in confidence, Nate. Don't tell anyone about Dave. Because it wasn't him." She held out her pinkie.

He hesitated only a moment before shaking it with his own. "I won't tell anyone, Lor. But I don't like that Duke is living here with you. I don't trust him."

"I don't either," she said, her voice somber with the sadness of that loss. "But he's part of the DDC now, I had to help."

"DDC?"

"Dead Dads Club."

He shot her a sour look. "I wish I was in that club."

"Nathan! You don't mean that!" she retorted in shock.

"Yes, I do. You don't know him, Lor. I hope you never do. But me and mom are happy when he's gone. I wished he'd stay gone."

Her heart went out to him. She couldn't judge his words when she didn't know what it was like to live with such a man. "I'll always be here for you, Nathan."

He nodded. "We pinkie promised, Lor. We'll always be there for each other."

"Time to come down for breakfast, kids!" Deborah yelled up the stairs.

"Come on, Nate. Let's go eat."

Deb wasn't even a bit surprised when Nathan came down the stairs with Lor. Though, she could see Duke had been. She watched the kids with concern as she doled out their pancakes. Outside of some awkward looks, no one caused a scene, for which she was grateful.

"Are you going to come shopping with us, Nathan?" Deb asked as she cleared the table when they were done.

"We'll stay here, mom and do the dishes for you. I think the you and Duke need some time together." She smiled at Duke's frantic look and waved when her mother took him by the hand and led him down to the garage doorway. "Leave a note if you go anywhere," her mother yelled back up the steps at her.

Her reason for not going was two-fold. One, she'd had more than enough of Duke's company for now and no doubt Nathan had too. She wasn't sure when she'd be able to stomach him at larger doses. And two, she needed to check on Lucy. People don't give away important things unless they think they are going to die. She had felt how close Lucy and James were and she needed to make sure the woman didn't do anything stupid.

As soon as she heard the car leave the garage, she hopped on the phone. "I need to call Lucy!" She left a message on an answering machine for the first number and got a strange warbling with the second number. With a shrug, she headed for the door. There was more than one way to find someone.

By the time she'd written a note on the fridge, pedaled her bike out of the garage and used the clicker to shut the garage door, her mother's car was long gone. She waited while Nathan grabbed his own bike and then told him about Lucy giving Duke her locket and why that worried her.

He nodded. "We'll find her, Lor."

But they hadn't found her. She wasn't at her rental; Vince and Dave hadn't seen her; Garland hadn't seen her. No one in the police department had seen her. She could tell by the look in everyone's eyes that they were just as worried as she was, though none actually admitted to it. Instead, they tried to sooth her with platitudes.

With little fanfare, since no one in Haven remembered James, he was quietly laid to rest on Tuesday afternoon. She caught Vince looking over at her and Nathan, nodding in her direction as the casket was lowered into plot 301. She was more worried now than ever. Why hadn't Lucy shown up? And how had Vince remembered James? Had Garland or Lucy had reminded him?

Two days later, she trounced into the Herald and slapped the newspaper down on Vince's desk. "Talk."

Vince shot his brother a quick look, biting back a grin. "About what?" he asked her.

"Don't patronize me, Vince." She stabbed her finger into the picture of Arla. "This 'story' you wrote about Arla. It's totally bogus and we both know it. What really happened? What was Arla's Trouble?"

Vince cocked his head, looking at the little girl curiously. "She doesn't buy the story, Dave."

"No, she doesn't, Vince. We can't talk about that but we have something even better. We want you to run another Kids-Eye-View story for us, Lor. We want you to find out what amenities the kids want for the new park that is being built. Can you look into that for us?"

Vince scowled at his brother. "Dave, I'm disappointed in you." He turned back to the little girl. "What I'm going to tell you can go no further. Not a word to anyone – not even Nathan… or Duke."

"I'm not a child, Vince. I am the Keeper of a great many secrets," she informed him with a perturbed look on her face.

"Vince…" Dave warned. No child should have to know what happened with Arla. No matter how special the child may be. When Vince waved him off, he stormed out of the office. "We will discuss this later, Vince."

Vince rolled his eyes dramatically. "I'm sure we will, Dave…" he muttered under his breath. "Grab Dave's chair and have a seat." Once she complied and was seated next to him, he continued. "Do you know what a skinwalker is, Lor?"

She blinked in surprise. "I love paranormal stories! If it's anything like what I've read, they are beings that wear other people's skins – some stories having them seem more like shapeshifters rather than skinners."

"Skinners!" He choked over a laugh and cleared his throat, trying to maintain a level of sincerity. "Arla's Trouble was brought on by her husband's death It is unknown how she even remembered him when all of Haven forgot who he was. She is a skinwalker. She found a new… skin and disappeared. That's not something that needs to be in print. Can you imagine the panic that would ensue? This is one of those times we needed to protect Haven from itself."

"I understand that, Vince, and I appreciate you leveling with me about it. It couldn't have been easy upsetting Dave like that."

He grunted. "Easier than you think. I love my brother, but we do not always see eye to eye. I believed you were old enough to handle the truth. He didn't think a child should know of such things." He leaned in towards the little girl. "But between you and me, I think you are far stronger than anyone realizes." He nodded towards the door Dave had stormed out of. "My brother will get over it soon enough."

"I need you to watch over Dave, Vince."

He tilted his head curiously. "Why?"

"How did you remember James?"

He cocked a brow. "How did you?"

She and Lucy were the only two in Haven as far as she knew that remembered James. "I'm like Lucy."

Vince nodded dramatically. "I thought so. Well, Dave and I take meticulous notes. It wasn't hard to piece everything back together. Now, why does Dave worry you? He likes you; you know."

"That's not what worries me." She told the story once more, hoping it would be the last time she needed to. Like she'd done with Nathan, she left nothing out. Vince couldn't help his brother if he was kept in the dark. She knew she couldn't save Haven all on her own. "Nathan is the only other person that has heard the full story. I did not tell Garland about Dave. I trust Garland, but the less people that know the better. You are the only one in a position to keep a close eye on him. He needs to stay away from the thinnies and the Predator. Will you watch over him for me, Vince?"

He doubted he would ever hear more unsettling words than those. His brother possessed by some predator being that used his body – like a meat-suit, she'd said, to kill Sarah's son. The fact that Lor had been willing to sacrifice herself to the void and predator that she'd escaped from to save the lives of others astounded him. Most adults would not have been so selfless. He knew he was right when he thought her a special little girl. He cleared his throat. "I'll watch over my brother. I won't let anything happen to him."

She hopped off the chair. "See that you do. I'm counting on you, Vince."

He rose and walked the girl to the door. "I won't let you down, Lor." He watched as she pedaled away and hoped he'd be able to keep that promise.

Two days later, on Saturday, the Haven Herald posted an article. 'Who killed the Colorado Kid'. It was a story that she'd worked on with Vince and Dave. She even wrote a short of it for her Kids-Eye-View piece.

May had been a long and exhausting month. She could only hope the summer would prove a little less eventful. Either way, she was determined to be in the middle of things. She would protect her home – if they would let her.