Annie's stomach growled. It was eight o'clock in the morning, and she had missed breakfast. She usually ate with her parents around six-thirty, before they started their day of work and she went off to class. Today they were called into a last-minute meeting and had forgotten to bring her any food.

She shuffled down the hallway, each step deepening the guilt within her. She wasn't supposed to go out on her own. They had never told her why, exactly, but still she knew it was a rule she wasn't supposed to break.

After several turns she found herself outside a door marked Cafeteria. Her hand hovered over the metal handles. So far she had done nothing warranting a punishment. Her stomach growled again, and she steeled her resolve. She would take whatever was coming her way for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

She pushed on the door and froze as soon as she entered. The cafeteria was full, but not with people like her parents or Dr. Leavitt and the others. Instead, it was full of children. Like her. Well, almost.

The room went silent. About fifteen boys turned their faces toward her as she stood there dumbfounded. They all looked to be about the same age, and they were all dressed in a similar fashion. It gave them a uniform appearance, despite the obvious differences in their ethnicity.

One boy, with dark hair and Asian features, nudged the boy next to him and nodded his head in her direction. She cast her eyes down and walked toward the stainless steel counter, hoping to grab a sandwich and leave before anyone tried to talk to her.

"Hello," someone said behind her.

She didn't turn around.

"Hello?" The boy tapped on her shoulder.

She didn't want him to think she was stupid, so she put on the bravest face she could and turned around. The boy – the one who had nudged his friend – looked at her and smirked.

"I haven't seen you here before," he said.

"I-I don't usually eat in here."

"No, I mean I haven't seen you at all. What's your name?"

His boldness surprised her. She looked up, meeting his eyes.

"Antoinette."

A thrill went through her. She had shared something about herself with this strange boy. It was probably another rule broken, but it felt good, even if it was something as innocuous as her name.

He nodded and smiled. "Nice. I'm Minho. So, what's your deal?"

"My deal?"

"Well, this is a change. Who's this?"

Another boy came up behind the first. He was the inverse image of Minho. Lanky and pale, with messy blonde hair.

"Antoinette," Minho answered. "I'm trying to find out why she's in here."

"Probably another test. What do you reckon they're up to now?" He spoke with an unusual accent.

She looked between the two of them nervously.

"I'm sorry, um, I just wanted a sandwich. I should go."

She turned to walk past them but the blonde boy grabbed her arm, stopping her.

"Hang on Antoinette. You didn't answer the question."

"I'm just getting some food. I missed breakfast."

"Why haven't we seen you before?"

She flicked her eyes down at his hand. "I really should go."

"Are you in Group B?"

"What?"

"Group B." He tightened his grip on her arm. "Do you know Lizzy - er, Sonya? Has she mentioned me? Has she mentioned Newt?"

She tilted her head. "Who? I'm sorry, I'm not supposed to be in here."

"Why not? Where did you come from? Where are you staying?"

"W-With my parents." He was making her nervous.

"Your parents?" He eyed her with curiosity. "You still live with your parents?"

"Yeah, don't you?"

He shook his head. "None of us do."

"None of you?" Her eyes widened.

He shook his head again. "No. So what makes you so special, Annie?"

"I-I'm not special."

"Sure you are. You're not in any groups. You still live with your parents. There's something different about you, and I want to know what."

Her head was starting to spin. What was this kid talking about? What groups?

Minho's eyes widened and the other kid – Newt – loosened his grip on her arm. They both took a step back and looked up at something behind her.

"Antoinette."

She knew that voice. It was her father. She turned around slowly, clutching the sandwich to her chest as her heart beat a mile a minute.

"What are you doing in here?"

He looked down at her with a blank face, but she could tell by his eyes he was angry. She said nothing, just held out the sandwich as an explanation. He took it out of her hand and set it back on the counter.

"You can go without lunch today young lady. Let's see what your mother has to say about you sneaking off."

He gave a curt nod to the others. "Boys."

He grabbed her by the wrist and guided her out of the room. She looked back at the two boys, just long enough to see them mouth "mother?" at each other before the doors closed behind her.

Outside the cafeteria, away from the new and exciting strangers, Annie felt dread build in her heart. He took her to her mother's office, pushed her inside, and closed the door behind them.

"Ava, I caught our daughter in the cafeteria. She was talking to two subjects from Group A."

"Subjects?" Annie looked up at her father. "Their names were Minho and Newt."

He shushed her. "Quiet! What do you think Ava?"

The woman stared down at her daughter from behind her desk. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a tight chignon, giving her a severe look, despite the faint smile on her lips.

"I think that was a bad girl Antoinette. You know you're not supposed to wander the halls without adult supervision."

Annie looked down, tears filling her eyes. "I know."

"So why did you do something you knew was wrong?"

"I was just looking for food. I didn't know … I didn't expect … Who were those boys?" She looked up at her mother, desperately wanting an answer.

"That's enough. Go into the hall and wait outside my door. I want to talk to your father alone."

Annie left and closed the door behind her. Ava stood up and leaned on the metal desktop. Her eyes narrowed in reproach at the man in front of her.

"How could you let this happen John Michael?"

He shrugged impatiently. "How am I supposed to keep my eyes on the girl all day long? I have my own work to do Ava."

"Part of that work is making sure our daughter doesn't interfere with what we're doing here. It was hard enough convincing Anderson to leave her out of the experiments. We cannot have any new variables outside of our control."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Take her to the lab. Get her prepped. I want this memory erased by morning."

XXXXX

"What the hell."

Annie's head shot up. She had fallen asleep, head resting uncomfortably against her seat belt. She worked out a kink in her neck as she looked up at the sky through the open roof. Cold white flakes fell onto her face, melting on contact with her skin. She felt warm air blowing out of the vents, buffering out the chill.

"When did this start?" She asked Newt.

"About ten minutes ago."

She squinted out the windshield as the wipers flicked back and forth at a rapid pace.

"It shouldn't be snowing this far south."

"It shouldn't, but …" He shrugged.

She looked outside her window, watching as the snow fell onto the lush green landscape that now surrounded their car. Gone was the dry, dusty desert of yesterday. They must have crossed a border while she was sleeping.

"We should put the top on," she said suddenly. "If this keeps up, we'll get sick."

"All right."

He turned the wheel and pulled over onto the side of the road. Before getting out, he grabbed his bag from the backseat and unzipped it. He pulled out a leather jacket, lined at the collar with cream-colored shearling.

He set it on her lap. "Put this on."

She looked down at the jacket and then back at him. "What about you?"

"I'll be fine. You can wear it. It's my fault for not letting you pack any winter coats. Not that I thought we'd need any ..."

She took it gratefully and shrugged into it. It smelled like dirt and sweat, but it was soft, and warm.

"Thanks."

He nodded and hopped out of the car, and she followed and met him at the back. They tugged on the soft topper, snapping and clipping it into place over the frame of the Jeep.

As soon as they had the last window zipped up, the snow stopped.

"What the …" Annie shielded her eyes and looked up at the sky.

"That's solar flares for you," Newt said bitterly. He waved his fist in the air as if there was someone up there watching. "Thanks WICKED!"

Annie laughed despite herself and got back into the car while Newt stayed outside and topped the gas tank off with what Frank had given them back at the farm. Annie pulled the map out of the glove compartment and spread it across the dashboard while she waited.

"Where are we?" She asked once he was back inside.

"Near the Gulf." He pointed at the map to show her. "Half a day and we'll be at the coast."

"Then what?"

"Then we find a boat." He strapped his seat belt back on and started the car. He turned the heat on and held his hands in front of a vent. "There, that's better."

Annie folded the map up and leaned against her seat. Even a half day seemed too long. She had grown tired of sitting in a car, especially one she never got to drive. Her legs and back were sore from being in the same position for so long. She would gladly welcome a change of scenery.

She grabbed a canvas bag sitting near her feet and pulled it onto her lap. It was full of provisions from Mary; snacks and basic medical supplies for the road. She opened a jar of dried fruit and gnawed on a strip until it softened in her mouth.

"Want some?"

Newt nodded, and she handed him a few pieces.

"That's good," he said after he tried a bite. He held out his hand for more.

"Do you think there will be fruit like this on the island?" She asked as she handed him some.

"I don't know," he said. "Never really thought about it. Maybe?"

"What do you think the island will be like?"

"I don't know … beachy?"

"I mean, will it be like the Glade was? Will people have jobs and stuff?"

He tore off a piece of the fruit and chewed it thoughtfully. "I don't know. Suppose so. It's what everyone knew before. I'm sure they'll go back to what's familiar."

Annie sat quietly. Something had been bothering her about Newt's plan, but she wasn't sure how to ask about it. She figured now was as good of a time as any.

"Hey Newt," she said timidly. "Do you think your friends … will they be okay with me?"

He looked over at her. "How do you mean?"

"You know …" She pointed at herself. "Property of WICKED."

"Oh." He frowned. He honestly hadn't given that a second thought since they had left the farm. "I uh … do you have to tell them?"

She frowned. "So that's a no."

"No, it's just … well, I think they'll be all right, yeah? They trust me, and I can vouch for you, and well … yeah. Probably?"

She rolled her eyes. "Your confidence is overwhelming Newt. Really, I feel touched."

He grinned and looked over at her. "It will be fine. Really."

She gave him a half-hearted smile and then suddenly threw her hands up, eyes wide with fear.

"Newt! Stop!" She gasped.

He turned his head forward. A coyote had stepped onto the road. It stood frozen in the middle, hovering over the yellow lines as it watched the oncoming car.

Newt slammed on the brakes. The animal ran off into the woods as the tires squealed. Except the Jeep didn't slow down.

It skidded to the left, heading toward a short metal guardrail. It was the only thing between them and a sharp drop-off, but they were going too fast. He jerked the wheel to the right.

He could hear branches snapping beneath the car, the sound of scraping metal, and Annie's screams next to him. He covered his face with his arms, and all went black.

Newt raised his head slowly. Glass fell out of his hair, rained down onto his lap and the surrounding seat. He felt like his brain had been squeezed in a vice and he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"What?" His voice sounded far away. He looked around, unsure where he was.

A deflated airbag hung in front of him. Behind it, the solid glass windshield had shattered into a spider-web pattern. A branch ran through it, hovering between his seat and Annie's.

He inhaled sharply and looked down. Two arms. Two legs. He was there. He was all right. Next to him someone coughed.

"Hey," he called out, voice hoarse. "Annie. Are you all right? Are you hurt?"

"I … I don't think so."

He saw a shaky hand reach over and grip his wrist.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah … we gotta … I gotta get out of here."

His head was swimming. He unbuckled his seat belt and opened the door. He stumbled out, dropping to the soft ground below. Rain fell through the canopy of the trees, dripping onto his face as he looked at the Jeep.

They had smashed into a tree. The hood was pushed back into a mangled mess of steel; a white cloud rose from the engine as the rain fell onto it and sizzled into steam. The front wheel had been turned horizontal, its rim completely bent.

He could hear Annie trying her door, pulling on the handle over and over again.

"I'm stuck," she called out, voice laced with panic.

"Crawl out through my side," he said.

A moment later a head of blonde hair appeared through the door, and she fell to the ground next to him with a groan.

"We're alive," she said, panting as she lay on her back. "Holy shit we're alive."

He pushed himself up onto his elbows, grunting at the effort.

"Yeah, we're alive. No thanks to that bloody coyote. If I see him again, I'll be sure to run him over - twice."

She pointed at the Jeep. "Good luck with that."

"I know." He laid back down and groaned. "We're screwed."

She turned her head to look at him, and her pulse quickened.

"Hey, you're bleeding."

He squinted at her. "What?"

"Over your eye."

"Oh." He hadn't even felt it, but now the blood was trickling down his temple and he wiped it away. "Is it bad?"

"I don't know." She turned to her side and peered at the wound. "There's a piece of glass."

His face scrunched up. "Can you pull it out?"

"I think so."

She slowly sat up and leaned over him, putting her fingers under his chin and tilting his head back. She picked at the glass with one hand and tightened her grip on his face with the other as he winced.

"Almost got it. Hold still."

She pulled the piece of glass away and held it up for him to see before throwing it onto the ground.

He put his sleeve to his forehead, stymieing the flow. "Thanks."

"No problem." She looked around the forest, up through the trees. "What now?" She asked.

He let out a deep breath. "We walk."

Her eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yep." He pushed himself up to his knees, then grabbed onto the side of the Jeep for support and pulled himself the rest of the way up.

"Come on." He held out his hand to her. "Get your bag. I'll get the map."

She let him help her up and then pulled her backpack out of the car. She tightened the straps over her shoulders and eyed him.

"Do you know where we're heading?"

He looked at the map. "I think if we follow the road we'll be fine. Let's stay in the woods though; we can keep out of the rain."

He walked, stumbling as he continued to come-to. Annie followed behind, keeping a watchful eye on him in the darkening forest. The rain had grown louder and was falling freely through the trees, wetting their hair and soaking through their clothes. She zipped up Newt's jacket and tugged on the collar, trying to shield the worst of it from running down her neck.

The further they went, the more difficult the terrain became. The ground grew hilly and slick and the wind was picking up, causing the leaves to quiver around them angrily as it moved through the trees. They stepped carefully over fallen logs, dodged thick branches that reached out at them threateningly. Newt helped her over the more difficult bits, but it was slow going. With every step the ground let out a squelching, sucking sound under their feet as they trudged through the wet leaves and deepening mud.

"Bloody hell!"

Newt jumped. A crack of lightning pealed through the sky, lighting up the forest.

"You all right?" She asked.

He stopped and looked up, eyes crinkled against the rain falling onto his face.

"We should find shelter for the night," he said. "It's getting worse."

"Where?"

"I don't … hang on." Rain was dripping down his face, getting into his eyes and pooling on his chin. He wiped it away angrily. "Bloody can't see anything."

He took off his bag and set it on the forest floor. He pulled out a flashlight and turned it on, spinning around slowly as he shined it on the dense trees and undergrowth. He trained the beam of light on a spot off in the distance, and pointed.

"Over there."

She hovered next to him and squinted, trying to see where he was pointing. "What? What do you see?"

"I think there's an overhang."

He held the flashlight higher and walked in the beam's direction.

"Wait up!" Annie put her hands under the straps of her backpack and sloshed after him.

When she caught up to him, he was standing before a large rock formation. He shined his flashlight at it, illuminating a hollow space inside.

His leaned forward, lips parting. "It's a cave."

He stooped to enter, and the light of his flashlight faded away as he went further inside.

Annie paused at the entrance.

"You coming?" He called out.

She bit her lip, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "What … what if there are bears?"

Suddenly the light of the flashlight shined on her face, making her blink.

"There're no bears Annie."

"How do you know?" She asked. "You don't remember bears."

He held the light up to his face and shook his head. "Just come inside would you?"

She put a tentative step forward, then another, until she stood fully inside the cave. It was tall enough for them to move about upright, but wasn't very deep.

Newt shined the light over the stone walls. It was a simple space, and dry enough. A small pile of animal bones were gathered on one side, and he quickly moved his light away from them before Annie had the chance to see. Besides a few cobwebs and a faint musky smell, it seemed a decent place to spend the night.

"This'll do," he said, putting the flashlight into his belt loop.

"For sleeping?" She asked hesitantly.

"No, for taking a bath." He paused, but when she didn't say anything he said, "Yes, for sleeping."

She opened her mouth, but he held up his hand to stop her.

"Look, I'm sleeping in here so it's either in here with me, or out there alone. At least in here you'll be dry."

He set his bag down and unzipped several compartments.

"What are you looking for?" She asked, peering down at him.

"Something dry to wear. I'm soaked through."

She set her bag down and began to do the same. She pulled out a change of clothes and held them up to her chest.

He turned off the flashlight, giving them both privacy. In the dark she could hear him untying his boots; hear the wet leather being pulled off his feet.

She peeled off her wet items and lay them on the ground to dry. A flash of lightning illuminated the cave, and she caught an image of Newt pulling on a fresh shirt before it went dark again. She hurried and tugged on her pants and long-sleeved shirt.

"I'm good," she announced.

She heard a clicking noise, and artificial light once again filled the cave. Newt was sitting on the ground, arms resting on his knees as he looked around.

"Not very cheery, I'll admit. I'd build a fire but …" He gestured out the front of the cave. "Bit wet."

She sat down across from him. "So what do we do now?"

"Well, you can get some sleep if you want. I never could sleep during storms, so …" He reached into his bag and pulled out a knife. "Guess I'll entertain myself."

She recoiled. "What are you going to do with that?"

"Relax." He smiled and picked up a thick branch sitting near his feet.

He slid the knife across it, chipping off its outer bark and cutting into the fleshy wood below.

She leaned forward. "What are you doing?"

"Carving. We used to do this to pass time in the Glade."

"Really? What are you going to make with it?"

"Don't know yet."

She watched him work, slowly inching her way forward until her knees were almost touching his.

"Can you show me how to do that?"

He paused and looked up at her, thinking she must be joking. When he saw her curious expression, he waved a hand out.

"Sure. Find another piece of wood."

She stood up and walked around the perimeter of the cave. When she came to one section, she let out a shriek that echoed off the stone walls.

"Oh God, there are bones over here."

He grinned and continued to run the knife across the wood.

"Found one." She came back over and sat down next to him. "Do you have another knife?"

"No. But you can use mine." He handed it to her.

"What do I do?"

"Well, what do you want to make?"

Her face softened as she thought about Tilly, probably saying her prayers at that very moment.

"A rabbit."

"Okay." He scooted over and positioned the knife in her hand. "First you have to remove the bark."

She stripped some pieces off and looked up at him.

He nodded. "Good. Now, you'll want to shape the ears first."

"Like this?"

"No," he grabbed her hand and moved the blade in a different direction. "There."

He continued to instruct her until she had a figure in her hand that in the dim light could possibly pass for either a rabbit or a duck.

"There," she said as she held it out. "What do you think?"

"Not bad, for your first go."

"Here -," She handed it to him. "For you."

"Why for me?"

"In case I get eaten by a bear," she deadpanned. "I want you to tell my story, Newt."

He chuckled. "What story would that be?"

"I don't know. Make it good though. I expect to be primetime news for weeks."

"Weeks? Really? When there're Cranks and solar flares out there? What makes you so special, Annie?"

She froze. She suddenly felt very dizzy as if something had sucked all the oxygen out of the cave.

"What did you say?"

"I said what makes you so special?" He laughed uncertainly, not sure why she looked so spooked. "What's wrong? I was only joking."

"I know it's just …" She pursed her lips and stared at him. Her intensity made him uncomfortable, and he averted his gaze.

She shook her head slowly as if coming out of a dream. "Nevermind."

His brow furrowed. "You seem over-tired. It's been a long day. Maybe you should try to get some sleep."

"Yeah …" She eyed him for a moment longer but did not protest. She grabbed a strap on her backpack and pulled it over, putting it under her head as she laid down.

Newt turned off the flashlight and leaned against the wall, settling in to watch the storm outside. The floor of the cave shook as thunder rolled overhead. Annie tossed and turned nearby, letting out little sighs.

"Wow," she said after a minute. "This is not comfortable."

He held back a laugh. "You're pathetic Williams."

Something reached out and punched him in the leg.

"Ow!" He bent down and rubbed the spot. "All right, damn, not pathetic. I don't know why you're so bloody worried about bears; the bears should be worried about you."

After another hour of unrest, Annie finally fell asleep. The storm continued throughout the night, but she slept on, ignorant as the wind picked up and the thunder sounded every few minutes.

She dreamed that the cave had flooded with water, and she and Newt were floating on top, drifting on a banner. Below the surface she could see her apartment. It also had flooded with water, but a current came through and swept everything away – all the furniture, her belongings, even the ugly painting of dogs her mother adored so much. The front door opened, and her father came through, eyes trained on her as he swam through the water. He reached out and grabbed her ankle, yanking her below the surface.

She tried to scream for Newt, but underneath the water nothing would come out. Everything around her turned black, and she sank through nothingness. She was pulled through the door and fell out into a sterile hallway, filled with a bright fluorescent light.

The scene changed, and she stood dripping wet outside a door marked Cafeteria. There were voices coming from the other side, and she held up a shaking hand, heart pulsating in her ears. She was about to open it when a hand fell to her shoulder. She looked up, and saw her mother. She smiled down at her.

"Always remember sweetheart. WICKED is good."

It changed again, and she was sitting in a chair, hooked up to various tubes and monitors. She was watching herself on one screen, pulling the knife out of Newt's chest.

"That was a bad girl Antoinette," her mother said. "Why did you do something you knew was wrong?"

Annie pulled against the restraints, felt tears falling on her cheeks but could do nothing to wipe them away. Dr. Leavitt appeared at her side, holding a long needle. He plunged liquid out the end and smiled at her.

"No, stop. Stop! Stop it! Don't! Let me go!"

"Time to go to sleep Antoinette. Don't worry. This will feel just like dreaming. In the morning you won't remember a thing."

He injected the liquid into her arm, and she screamed.

"Annie. Hey. Annie! Wake up!"

Annie's eyes snapped open. Someone was leaning over her. She shot up and pushed out with her arms, knocking the figure back.

"Hey, watch it!"

"Newt?" She blinked, trying to make out the face in the dark.

"Yeah." He crawled back over to her. "You all right? You kept muttering."

"What?" She glanced around. It was still dark outside, but the storm had finally lessened to a gentle rain.

"Yeah, you kept saying 'WICKED is good'. Then you screamed like a buggin' Griever had stung you."

"I did?"

"Yeah," he laughed through his nose. "Got me worried for a minute there."

"Oh … sorry … I had a bad dream."

He leaned back. "Want to talk about it?"

She sat up and rubbed the side of her face. "I think it's gone now." She squeezed her eyes shut. She knew she had been back at the Canada office, but she couldn't remember what she had been doing there. Her shirt clung to her sweaty skin, and she shivered.

She opened her eyes again and looked at him. "Newt, do you ever … feel like your dreams are more than dreams, that they're …" She paused, scrunching up her face.

"That they're what?"

"I don't know, memories?"

"Memories?" He asked.

"Yeah, of your past. Your childhood. You know, things you can't remember during the day."

"There's a lot I can't remember," he said, voice tight. "At this point I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing."

She shook her head. "Nevermind. Whatever it was, I've forgotten it now."

She laid back down and closed her eyes, breathing in slowly to steady her heart. The air was heavy, and she wiped damp hair off her forehead.

Newt pushed himself away and leaned against the wall of the cave. His forehead creased as he looked at her outline nearby. The girl was strange. Sleeping peacefully one minute and then screaming her head off the next. And what was she going on about, lost memories? No one had ever played lab rat with her; her mother had seen to that.

He frowned. He missed his friends. He missed Tommy and Minho. Everything came so easily with them. There was such a history there. But with Annie, he had to take it one day at a time. Just when he thought he could trust her, she went on another tangent about WICKED being good and reminded him of why he could never get too close to her. It was frustrating, knowing she could probably tell him more about himself than anyone else he knew, and yet he still couldn't allow himself to believe anything that came out of her mouth. No matter how badly he wanted to.

He closed his eyes and fell into a dreamless sleep.

Morning came, and with it the sound of birds and a light breeze that floated through the cave, promising a nice day. Annie stretched and opened her eyes, surprised at how well she had slept. Forgotten was the dream, and she looked over at her companion with a smile. She was in a surprisingly cheerful mood.

He was leaning against the wall, head down and eyes closed. His folded arms rose and fell slowly against his stomach as he snored.

"Newt," she said.

His eyes fluttered open. "Huh? Oh. Morning." He yawned.

He looked exhausted, and she felt her heart twinge within her as she looked at his sorry state.

"Did you get any sleep?"

"Sure." He groaned as he pushed off the wall and climbed to his feet. He wobbled, but steadied himself and pointed at her clothes.

"Come on, pack up your stuff. We can eat on the way."

She grabbed her items, which were now only slightly damp, and put them into her bag. She stood up and walked to the front of the cave, blinking at the brightness of the morning.

She cocked her head to the side.

"Hey. Listen."

Newt stood next to her. "What?"

"I think …" She smiled and took off, heading toward the edge of the forest. He hurried behind her, sliding to a stop at her side.

"Do you hear that?" She asked. "It's the ocean."

They stepped out of the trees and back onto the road. The storm had been so loud it had drowned out the sound of the water, but there it was, off in the distance, glittering in the early morning sun.

Newt shielded his eyes with his hand. "Looks like there's a port still. Maybe there's a boat!"

He felt excitement build within him. Now they were getting somewhere. Now he was one step closer to seeing Tommy and the others again. He forgot about Annie's middle of the night outburst and patted her on the back, smiling.

Side-by-side they continued down the road, heading in the direction of their ticket to the Safe Haven.

A few miles away, on the deck of a docked boat, a man pulled his eye away from his telescope. He looked to be in about his forties; grey streaks peppered his dark locks, and he had wrinkles forming around the corners of his eyes and creasing his forehead in thin lines. Still, he was handsome. He looked at his wife with twinkling eyes and gave her a lopsided smile that only added to the charm of his face.

"We have company."