Norah pulled the stack of papers from their hiding place in the drawer and placed them on the table next to the lantern. She began going through them one by one.
There were pictures of what appeared to be an old building. According to the map beneath the photos, it was the abandoned community center.
Then, she found pages of emails exchanged between what seemed to be Joja Mart employees.
As she combed through them she found that certain messages had been highlighted.
From[Redacted]@JojaCorp
To[Redacted]@JojaCorp
Subject: Re: Site Anomalies
Date: [Two months ago]
M,
We have reviewed the latest reports from Site 12. The fluctuations are becoming harder to contain. The junimos are growing resistant to standard protocols. Any news on the land acquisition in Pelican Town? It would be best if we could have a location closer to the source of the Junimos.
~J.S.
From: [Redacted]@JojaCorp
To: [Redacted]@JojaCorp
Subject: Urgent: Unstable Variables
Date: [One month ago]
M and J.S,
The energy readings at potential site 17 are off the charts. Our research suggests the Junimos may not be just fixing things—they're rewriting reality.
Recommend immediate land acquisition. We need full control before the locals catch on.
R.J
From: [Redacted]@JojaCorp
To: [Redacted]@JojaCorp
Subject: Re: Unstable Variables
Date: [Three weeks ago]
R.J,
Proceed as planned. We own that land—the town just doesn't know it yet. If Junimos truly alter reality, then our potential extends far beyond energy extraction.
I expect a full report after Phase Two.
Keep all external communication vague. If [redacted] is still snooping, handle it.
~M
There were so many documents to go through. After reading the
What is all this? Norah thought.
She flipped through the photos of the old community center. In one of them, there was a small hut with a blurry green creature inside. At the top of the picture, the words Potential Site 17 were printed. Is this what the email was talking about?
This was crazy.
Where had her grandpa even gotten all of this? None of it could be real. Right?
Of course not.
She didn't live in a fairy tale where magical creatures could alter reality. The thought was insane. And yet—Norah couldn't shake the feeling that it might be true. If it was, it would explain the night the masked man showed up at her work. I'll just check out the community center tomorrow and go from there, she decided. Then, she went to sleep.
She woke up to a knock on her door. Slowly, she sat up, rubbing her eyes. The person knocked again—louder this time.
"I'm coming!" she yelled.
With how impatient they were, she wasn't surprised to see Sebastian when she opened the door.
His eyes flickered to the table behind her. Norah tensed. She hadn't tidied up the documents. She didn't like the idea of Sebastian poking around in her business, so she quickly stepped outside and shut the door behind her, blocking his view.
"What do you want?" she asked, her anger bubbling up after what he had said to her last night.
"I brought you coffee and scones. Gus makes them at the Saloon every Saturday. They're really good," he said, handing her the coffee and a small bag.
But he wasn't looking at her.
His gaze lingered on the door, like he had X-ray vision and could see right through it to the table inside.
"Anything else?" Norah asked. She wasn't about to thank him—not when he had probably been sent by Robin in the first place.
"Yeah. My mom was hoping you could come by our house and talk about the funeral," he said.
Funeral
The word hit her like a punch to the gut.
"Yeah… what time?" she asked, swallowing hard.
"Anytime. She's working at the carpenter's shop all day but can set aside time whenever you show up," he said.
"Okay. Please tell her I'll be there in an hour?" Norah replied.
Sebastian just nodded and stalked off up the mountain path toward his house. Norah let out a breath and went back inside.
After catching Sebastian staring at the documents like that, she suddenly felt uneasy leaving them out. She quickly tucked them back into the drawer and snapped the false board into place. Then, she sat down with the scones.
Really good didn't even cover it. Each bite was like heaven in her mouth. And the coffee? Better than any she'd ever had in the city. Now that she had a full stomach, she felt much better.
She had been so exhausted last night that she hadn't even bothered to change. She stripped off the black dress, washed her face, and pulled on a pair of jeans and a black turtleneck. Then she spun her hair into a bun, though a few stray pieces around her face refused to stay in place.
Norah stepped outside pulling on her jacket. She had completely forgotten what a disaster the farm was. Sighing, she headed up the mountain to meet Robin.
Robin was leaning against the counter, reading, when Norah entered. At the sound of the door opening, she closed the book and smiled.
"Can I make you a cup of tea or coffee?" Robin asked warmly.
"I'll take coffee, black, please. And I wanted to thank you for the baked goods yesterday and the scones this morning," Norah said, attempting to smile as warmly as Robin, though she felt like she was doing something wrong with her face.
"Of course, dear! But I didn't send any scones this morning—I only sent the baked goods yesterday," Robin said, sounding perplexed as she led Norah into the kitchen.
"Oh… my mistake," Norah replied.
Robin handed her a cup of coffee and gestured for her to sit at the table. As Norah sat down, Sebastian walked into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee. Then, he did something strange.
He smiled at her.
"You should come to the Saloon tonight at seven. Abby and Sam will be there too," he said.
Stunned, Norah nodded. And to her dismay—she grinned. She couldn't help it, not with that smile on his face. He left, and she was stuck there, grinning like an idiot. She didn't even hear Robin talking until she cleared her throat.
"Norah?"
"Oh, I'm sorry," Norah replied quickly.
"No worries. I'm just glad to see you're getting along with Sebastian. He's been having a rough time since your grandpa passed. Always holed up in that room of his. I mean, he was like that before, but I worry about him being alone right now," Robin said, glancing toward the basement door.
It made sense now.
The smile must have been for Robin's benefit, not hers. He probably didn't even want her at the Saloon tonight. Abigail had probably made him promise to ask her.
Or… maybe he was trying to apologize? Robin had said the scones weren't from her. So… were they actually from Sebastian this time?
Robin cleared her throat again, bringing Norah's attention back to the present.
"So, this is going to be a tough subject, but we have to talk about it. Do you want anything specific for your grandfather's funeral?"
"Yes, actually. He would want it to be on the farm," Norah said.
"You're right. He would like that. The farm is a bit…" Robin hesitated.
Norah cut her off. "…of a disaster right now. If you give me a week, that should be enough time for me to get it all cleaned up."
"Okay, how about a week from tomorrow?" Robin suggested.
"Perfect," Norah agreed.
"Is there anything else specific you'd like?"
"Um… not that I can think of," Norah admitted. "I don't really know what's needed for a funeral…"
"Don't worry about anything—I can take care of it," Robin assured her, smiling, though there was sadness behind her eyes. "And don't think you're going to clean up that farm by yourself. There are plenty of people ready to help you."
"If I feel overwhelmed, I'll reach out. Thanks," Norah said.
Robin stood up. "You should say goodbye to Sebastian before you go."
"Oh, I don't think that's a good idea," Norah said quickly.
"Nonsense. I saw the way he smiled at you," Robin teased.
"Okay," Norah mumbled, more out of curiosity than anything.
She made her way to the basement door and knocked.
No answer.
She was about to turn and leave when the door suddenly opened.
"Sup?" Sebastian asked.
"Oh, I'm just heading out, so I thought I'd say goodbye," she said, then immediately looked away, realizing how awkward she sounded.
"Are you coming tonight?" he asked.
"Yeah," she said.
"See ya then," he said—then winked at her before heading back downstairs.
Norah blinked. It's like he got replaced by someone else, she thought. If he thought she was just going to forgive him for being an asshole—without even apologizing—he was crazy.
Then she remembered how she had smiled like an idiot at him earlier, and her face burned.
He knows exactly what he's doing, smiling at me like that.
In fact, judging by her reaction to him, he probably did think she had forgiven him.
Whatever. I'll deal with him later, she thought, shaking it off as she headed home.
She took a step through the door and noticed a sealed letter that had been slipped through the door. She opened it up.
It read Your being watched, don't do anything stupid.
To be continued...