"Oh... I don't know." Uncle Dylan covered his mouth as he talked to the salesman. I leaned across the cart, my back aching. I didn't sleep well in his bed.

When Basil left, all I could stare at were the pictures on the wall. I wish he didn't have to go, which feels odd to admit... But his company was warm.

Ricky remained by my side, watching me. I felt like all the energy depleted from my body. I scrolled through my Instagram, liking all my friends doing better things than me.

How belittling... I bit my cheek, liking Sophia's post. She had bottles set up on her bedside as Briar laughed on the floor. Ugh... I shoved my phone into my pocket, crossing my arms.

"You okay?" Ricky asked, placing his hands on the cart. We had a new window, a new gutter, and shingles. The tree did more damage than I could've expected. I still wasn't sure how it came down.

"I'm fine." I forced a tight smile, leaning away from the cart. Uncle Dylan didn't seem to be getting anywhere. Despite his frustration, he held his kind smile. I suspect he bit his tongue too. I wouldn't be able to do that so calm.

He had bandages on his arm along with a few on his neck. The glass cut him, but he didn't let any of us see he was hurt until the next morning. I'm surprised I didn't notice. Yet again, I was distracted.

The house was cold from the window. I took all of his blankets and wrapped them until not even the fans could phase me. I still wonder how Basil isn't bothered, but he can't give me an answer.

I leaned back, locking eyes with someone my age. Sharp piercing blue eyes, electric blue and black eyeliner, and a black sweater a lot like mine. Her hair was curled down her back, it was blonde with blue ghost roots.

I brushed my hair down from its hair tie, hiding my face. I don't have any makeup on, my hair was thrown in a bun. Oh, why do I have to look so rough when I see someone so cool..?

I melted down with shame, wishing I could hide inside of my shoes. Uncle Dylan glanced my way. "Uhm... Hold on." He put his hand up to the salesman, approaching me.

"You okay..? Are you tired? I'm sorry, I just didn't want to leave you there all alone for a long time.." His voice shuddered into silence as he covered his mouth. I furrowed my brows. He acted like he wanted to chew his words.

"I'm fine... Why can't I be alone?" I asked. I feel this has something to do with my dad, and that alone irks me. I curled my nose and Uncle Dylan's eyes softened into melancholy. "No— It's not you." He groaned, pinching his eyes as he leaned away.

"Roxanne, it's... I don't trust those woods much after Florence. I feel better knowing we are all where we are supposed to be." He sighed, brushing his hair back. Oh. That's a way to make the guilt sink deeper. I nodded, twirling my hair around my pointer finger.

I shouldn't have tested that. I lowered my head more. "Sorry..." I can be such a brat... Uncle Dylan touched my shoulder. He gave me a gentle smile, clearing his throat. "It's alright. Do you want to go look around and see if there's anything you want to add to your room? This is home improvement.." He suggested.

I glanced down at Ricky before nodding. "Alright..." I adjusted my bag on my shoulder, fixing my sweatshirt. He leaned back, turning back around toward the salesman. He doesn't trust the woods... He doesn't know about Basil. I can only guess what he thinks happened. I don't want to pry anymore, he looks void of life when I do.-

"Dylan?? Hey, it's been so long!" The older man greeted. His hair was dusted brown and grey, a lot like my Uncle's. He looked like another farmer, carrying rope and deluxe chicken feed.

He approached us, placing his hands on Uncle Dylan's shoulders. "Oh— Thomas it's been so long!" They exchange a tight hug. I watched as the girl followed. Shoot.

Her eyes trailed on me as I clenched my bag. I wanted to tap my foot, but it felt too noticeable. They must be related...

"Who's this?" Thomas asked, stepping to the side to get a look at me. "Roxanne. She's my niece." He smiled. He looked more full of life in this moment. It was nice to see.

"Well nice to meet you Roxanne, I'm Thomas," He put his hand out to me. It sparked the memory of Basil struggling to shake mine. I concealed my smile by pursing my lips, taking his, and shaking it.

"You too..." I said, my voice getting lost in my hushed tone. He leaned back and looked at the girl. She pursed her lips and put her hands in her pockets. Thomas's smile faltered before he cleared his throat.

"Well, this is my daughter Lune." He motioned her to me, but she didn't budge.

"Hi."

"Hey," I replied. Maybe if I actually got up in time and got dressed, this would be less awkward... "Uhm.." Dylan scanned across me before realization settled across his face.

"Oh- Well, Roxanne just moved in with me. I'm fixing a disaster—" His eyes panned over before a smile blossomed. "She is looking for new room modifications." He blurted, my head shooting up. I raised my brow as Thomas smiled. "Oh well... Lune, you can help her?"

Oh gosh.

"Yeah, that'd be good. She doesn't know anyone her age yet." Uncle Dylan said, his smile growing brighter. He thinks he just gave me what I need, doesn't he?

Lune's eyes shot to mine. I don't know if I can do this. She pursed her lips and adjusted her purse on her side. I pray she's a nice person.

-

"So... Why are you here?" Lune's voice was scratchy, it sounded like she had been smoking prior to this. I should know, I sounded the same most mornings...

I bit my cheek as I glanced around the decor. Most of it was farm-themed. "Pissed my dad off," I said, lifting a fake plant.

"How?"

"Smoking, drinking, sneaking out, failed classes... All the basics." I traced my fingers down the leaf before lifting the tag. Artificial Basil.

Reading the name brought a shiver back. Basil... Wonder where he is? His curse has me stumped, but I haven't had much time to think. I can't imagine the web having much, but it might be worth a try to search tonight...

"Jeez... You sound like a mess.." Lune was blunt, lowering her voice into a silly tone at the end. I nodded my head as her snickering grew. "I started failing big time and my dad was really mad.." I shook my head. As I speak, I do recognize where I'm in the wrong. But I know what it was like in Kansas with all the stress. It was horrible...

"You have to keep your grades in check while partying on the weekend." She lifted a mirror sculpted into several flowers, turning it so it reflected us both. My bags were heavy. I guess last night made it difficult to sleep.

Dreams that felt unexplainable began to resurface. Maybe nightmares. Something off-putting, something was grabbing me. I couldn't breathe... I felt that cold slush again, the freezing wounds, but it wasn't Basil and I wasn't being helped.

My expression began to falter from a smile into horror as they crawled from my mind. Lune lowered the mirror and gave me a worried glance. It wasn't fiction like I thought she'd act, it was genuine.

"Sorry... I had nightmares. That's why I look so rough, I'm usually a lot more put together. I usually dress like you." I motioned to her clothes. She nodded. "What happened?"

Where do I begin? I look half dead so I know she'll take my word. She saw the cart full of supplies. But... It was so bizarre.

"Well, I was talking to— a friend..." I cringed inside my head. I shouldn't have even mentioned Basil in the slightest, but I'm so tired. I seemed to forget the censorship of my story.

"And there was this awful rumbling, like an earthquake. I ran to save my lamp from falling off the table and soon a tree crashed through my window.." The story was weighing more on me than I thought. "I had to sleep in my uncle's bed while he slept with my cousin..."

I shivered. His bed may have been warm, but when Basil left the nightmares were hellacious. They keep revealing more details from the smell of perfume.

"Here." She grabbed her phone and pulled something up. "Have your phone still?"

"Yeah..." I grabbed it from my pocket. She slipped hers into my free hand, her number displayed across the screen. She's giving me her number..? She pushed her hair back, giving me a smirk.

Despite not being able to believe it, I held back my grin and rushed to put it into my phone. I named her "Lune" with a blue heart. I handed her back her phone, gathering a deep breath in my lungs.

"Thank you." I grinned. She nodded, shoving her phone back. "Call me if you need a good time, can't imagine it's fun being alone in North Dakota with no one..." Her words sparked an urge of boldness from me. I hadn't felt that since I was in Kansas with Briar.

"Uhm... Listen I'm so bored, are you free today?" I asked, holding my hands together. Lune paused before her smile grew more mischievous.

"I can be free."

-

"Haha-!" I grabbed Lune's arm. We were outside the farmhouse now, she drove me home. It was dusk, and the sun had just begun to set.

Lune was a lot more relaxed. She wasn't like Briar or Sophia, she was different. It was funny to see how southern she was despite her appearance. I had come back before she picked me up and did my makeup. I felt more like myself that way.

We walked along the fence of the empty crop field. She held her bag as our boots crunched in the snow. "It's pretty back here." She said, scratching her cheek. "Do you like it?"

I paused, glancing toward the woods. "I guess. It's peaceful. Uncle Dylan isn't on my back, he's actually pretty laid back." I shrugged my shoulders and combed my hair back. Lune nodded.

"That's nice. My dad's not very strict, he just wants me to do well in my classes. I do that and in return, I get to go out more often." Lune smiled as she leaned onto the fence. Her teeth were straight as corn on the cob, not one was out of place. I envy that. My teeth aren't bad, but my bottom row has a few pushed back.

"Hey.." She reached into her bag, snapping me from my thoughts. She pulled out cigarettes and opened the box, grabbing one. Then she placed the box and lighter in my hand.

"Keep it. You seem like you need it." She laughed as she held another lighter, lighting the one in her mouth. I blinked for a moment, my words lodged in my throat. I haven't smoked since a few days before I got here.

I glanced toward the farmhouse. Uncle Dylan was still working on my window. "What the hell.." I shrugged, placing the cigarette between my lips.

I lit it behind my hand and inhaled the smoke. "Did you have a lot of friends in Kansas?" She asked. I held in the smoke before letting it out with a huff.

"I had two close friends. They're doing their own things now..." I paused as my heart burned. I'd be a liar if I said it didn't kill me. "I don't think they even are phased by me leaving..." This was the first time I ever got those words out. Hearing them out loud felt like boiling water on my wounds.

"I see..." Lune paused and flicked the ashes from her cigarette. "Well... They aren't real friends if they don't care. But give them a few days, okay?" She gave me a warm smile, warm enough to fend off the cold.

"Let's hope so.." I laughed, shoving the cigarettes in my pocket. Her kindness was different than theirs too. They would've made a joke, but she was empathetic.

"Don't sweat it, Roxanne. You'll make a lot better friends, I know it."

Our conversation soon got derailed before she asked about school. It took me a bit off guard but I learned we are both going to the same high school. She said she'll introduce me to all the good people. I'll have to take her word for now. She had to get ready to go since her dad called her home, which left me alone out by the fence.

I continued to smoke the cigarette, the cloud of it fluffing up and perishing away in the bitter wind. It's hypnotic to watch. The sun smeared an orange cast across the sky, painting the clouds into a pastel. It was soothing. I leaned back, embracing the quiet. The snow isolated all sound, leaving all noise to come from me.

I do miss birds. I miss summer but something about this is enough to take me away from all the chaos.   "What is that..?"

I jumped up, almost dropping the cigarette from my fingers. I whipped around. Basil stood 5 feet away with a curious expression pasted across his face.

"Basil— Oh, you scared me..." I took a breath. He looks different..?

I scanned him a few times, trying to find the true cause. He wore a dark red sweater and black jeans. If anything, he looked more alive and modern, not dead or Victorian. His cheeks were dusted red, his hair brushed and fluffy, and he held a book in his arm against his chest. Still, his eyes were hollow so he wasn't cured. But these were symptoms showing he's still somewhat human

I inhaled the freezing air so fast it ached my lungs. He wore it well. The sweater looked like he had crafted it himself upon closer inspection. There were tiny nicks and tears in the fabric. But it didn't take anything away from him. I tried to hide my face, positioning my eyes to stare at the ground. I let my hair fall to cover my warm cheeks.

"I apologize, Roxanne. What is that?" He reiterated the question as he stepped closer. Gem wasn't with him now. That alone was odd.

"It's a cigarette..? Don't you know?" I regretted my words as soon as I spat them out. Of course, he doesn't know.

"No. All I saw was a tube of smoke you inhaled." He stepped closer. I leaned up from the fence and looked up at his face. The setting sun washing over him was alluring, his eyes glowed pastel orange as the sunset reflected in them. I sucked in my stomach and straightened my back.

The pure white reflected everything. It was like a distorted mirror when I saw myself, but everything else he adorned...

I puckered my lips to the side and reached my hand outward. "... You can have a drag," I said. Basil took a breath and tucked the book under his arm.

He reached for it, his hand brushing mine. He's trusting me... He's taking it from me rather fast and with no questions... I feel wrong. I jerked back. "Actually uh sorry... Nevermind."

"What?" He questioned, almost dropping his book. He regained his stance, holding the book tight. "I just— changed my mind... They aren't good for you. I'm not going to give it to you." Look at me... These words are foreign. Never thought I'd be the it's not good for you type.

"Why would you do it then?"

I paused and dragged my teeth against my lip. I would tell him what my mother always said. Sometimes mommy needs a stress reliever for grownups, but we appear to be the same age...

"I... What do you need?" I changed the subject. He hummed, opening his book for a moment. "May I ask you a few questions? You are fully human, you have a simple life..." He cleared his throat as I laughed. Simple... That's one hell of an understatement.

"Where do I acquire uh... Thyme?" He asked, pulling the book closer to make sure he read it correct. Thyme? He needs thyme..? "Basil— that's at any grocery store," I replied, trying to make out the book cover.

"Ah... Where is a grocery store..?" His voice grew higher in pitch as he raised his shoulders. He lowered his head into the book, keeping his vision on me. I stared at him before taking a long drag of my cigarette. I can't imagine him going there. Especially not alone. He doesn't have any money probably.

I glanced up toward his face. His eyes. He'd scare people. Unless he said they were contacts, but even with pure white contacts you can see their iris behind them.

"In town. You'll need money and..." I paused. "And a less scary look.." I chewed the words out, making them sound gummy. Basil's eyes widened before the red flushed darker.

"Am I horrific..? Has Gem lied?" Basil asked with a gasp, raising his hand to his mouth. His fingertips began to fade black from the tips. It crawled down his fingers.

I jumped, backing up as snow crunched under my feet. "What are you saying..? What's happening to you?" My words grew louder as he grabbed his hand. "Oh I'm frightening you, I'm so sorry I shouldn't have bothered you. I never should have let Gem come back..."

The more he spoke, the more distraught he grew. It was a switch. It was a side I hadn't been exposed to yet and he was like a guilty dog... I took a deep breath and swallowed the fear, locking it as far down as I could. I reached for his hand. He jolted back, fast enough to make a snap.

I didn't mean to frighten him. Ironic, considering how I want to run... But he didn't mean to either. "Basil..." I lowered my voice. "What do you mean? I meant your eyes are pure white. Despite that... You're human on the outside." Of course, if you can ignore the black crawling up his hand...

He stilled once he brought his hand to his chest and hissed through his teeth. "I am..?"

I wasn't sure what made him second-guess me, but I continued. "Why are you so unsure of my words..?" I asked, stepping closer as he yanked up his sleeve. The black crawled past his palm wrapping around his wrist and up like roots.

Oh gosh- I gasped when I saw it. But I did my best to play it off as breathing.

"I've seen my reflection. Gem said it was the negative energy, but..." He winced, gritting his teeth as his fingers curled into his palm. "Isn't this real..?"

I gulped, biting my cheek. I glanced back toward the farmhouse. Uncle Dylan couldn't see us. I was going to do research tonight... I could go with him. I scratched my palm, trying to balance my heartbeat and breath. I won't be afraid.

"Basil.."

I won't be scared.

"Do you mind if we do some research... On this curse?" I pressed my nails into my palm. Basil winced more, holding his breath. "Okay..." He replied. I smiled and nodded. "I'll go get some of my things and tell my Uncle.."

I guess I have to lie.

-

-

-