Bree hurried upstairs to change clothes. Sawyer agreed that she could borrow Allen for five hours everyday and that was more than enough time. She put on a pair of black jeans, a black tank top underneath a loose brown jacket and knee high boots. She was going to hike a long way so she made sure her shoes could bear the burden.

On her way back from the restaurant, she'd gotten a leather backpack she could use. She filled two large bottles with water; one for Allen and one for herself. She packed sandwiches in a plastic ziploc and a few apples. The bag had to be lightweight so it didn't slow her down at some point.

She took a flashlight and some extra batteries as well. It was noon but the mountains tended to get dark without notice. She wanted to speak with Norman before leaving to at least get the guilt off her chest. She wanted to find out why he hated Jimothy but a part of her thought that maybe if she did, she wouldn't trust to go near him again.

She strolled down the stairs and bolted into the lobby. Oakwood shuffled doormen constantly and today, Bree wasn't surprised to find a new face behind the wide desk by the corner.

"A good afternoon ma'am." The man greeted. He looked young, almost Norman's age but a little older Bree guessed.

Bree beamed at him in the politest way she could. "Hi, you're the new doorman, right. Nice to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine. You must be Brianna then, no?"

Bree cringed internally. Only her father called her by her full name but she managed a nod.

The doorman was oblivious to how uncomfortable she looked. He reached under his desk and grabbed a package. Bree recognized it immediately - blue box with pink ribbons.

"Norman." She said immediately.

"Oh yes, Mr Bates asked me to give this to you." He said and handed her the box. She accepted it and almost opened it right there but remembered she was still standing in front of the door dude.

"Thank you." She said and turned to leave then stopped. "but wait, how did you know i'm the one he was talking about?"

"Mr Bates' description matches you perfectly." The young man said with a look of pleasure. He seemed to already know that Norman was her boyfriend.

"What description?" Bree asked out of curiosity.

"He said to give this package to Ms Brianna and i quote 'the loveliest woman in the building' and he also said you'd recognize the box when you saw it."  he said.

"Oh, i see." Bree said and hoped she wasn't blushing really hard. The young man's smile seemed to tell her that she was. "well, thank you then uh, Mr. . .?"

"Tony, the name's Tony."

"Tony! Thank you, Tony." She said and slowly walked outside.

She put the box in her backpack and waited for Allen. Sawyer said to wait by the gate and he would come to her. Within a few minutes, Allen came bounding towards her, his black coat making him look dangerous under the sunlight.

He screeched to a stop near her legs and began to lick her boots. She giggled and tried to move away but he simply followed her.

"Okay, okay, you ready for a hike boy?" She asked and he barked in response.

His leash hung loose from his collar and Bree picked it, wrapping it around her palm to keep him within arm's length."alright then, let's go boy."

They hailed a cab and rode to the pen. There were no pigs this time, it seemed the thief had struck too many times and forced Herb to stop stocking the pen.

They passed by the farmhouse and found Jonas grazing on grasses by the corner. The place no longer seemed barren as several weed plants grew in patches all around.

"Hey Jonas, snacking?" Bree asked and the horse lifted its head then neighed at her. Allen barked and Bree tried to shush him then she realized Sawyer had been working here before she came along so it was possible Allen wanted to go over and say hi.

She walked him over to Jonas and Allen pranced around the horse, running under its legs and headbutting it. Jonas didn't seem to mind, he only tried to catch up with the dog but the canine was too fast and too rough.

"Okay okay, we have to go now. say bye bye, Allen."

She gently tugged at the leash and Allen left Jonas' side. Together they bounded toward the mountain route. The sun was still high up in the sky and Bree was feeling good about her first day hunt until she got to the entrance of the massive forest.

A quesy feeling settled in her stomach as she slowly approached the dark looming trees. She gazed up at them, some were taller than a house and had extremely thick trunks. The shadows they cast across the ground sent chills up her spine and she suddenly felt the urge to turn back.

"We can't go back now, can we?" She asked Allen who was busy sniffing the ground. She suddenly realized she hadn't really given Allen something he could sniff, something that smelled like the monster so he could follow his scent.

She dismissed the idea for a while. She just had to set tabs on the creature first and then everything else would fall into place. . . hopefully.

"Let's go, Allen." She prodded and the bloodhound led the way into the deep dark forest.

Bree knew it was sunny when she had first walked in but all of a sudden, the temperature seemed to drop. A bitter cold wind blew mercilessly making Bree regret not taking with her a flannel coat or something to keep warm. Allen wasn't helping matters either. More than once he had sniffed out a random animal and made Bree stray from her path which equally took minutes to find again as everything in the forest looked annoyingly similar. He'd sniffed out a rabbit, a deer, a mountain goat and a ferret.

Bree groaned in frustration as she chased after him. He'd snapped his leash twice and she had managed to fix it but the third time, it was impossible so she had spent more time searching for Allen than for the monster she'd come for.

After the dog had run off for the thousandth time, Bree slumped on a boulder, drowning in exhaustion. She was sweating amidst the cold, her sandwich had run out, her bottles were halfway empty and she'd lost her spare batteries when she'd accidentally tripped over a log and almost fell off the edge of a cliff.

Such an incredible adventure. She thought.

It was either the forest was designed to frustrate whoever ventured in before slowly killing them or nature just plain hated her. She took out the water bottle that still held water and drank the remaining contents in one swg but it did nothing to quench her thirst.

Bree used to think hunger was the only thing that could drive one insane until she found herself sitting in the middle of nowhere, thirst choking her like hello, nice to meet you. I'm thirst and i'll be the reason behind your death.

She lazily stood up and tried for a whistle to get Allen's attention but the sound came out raspy and tiny. The forest was no child's play. Jimothy's dwelling was a rosebush garden compared to it. The trees were humongous and even from the distance, Bree could hear howls. She had gone in way too deep for the first day.

"Allen!" She yelled. She knew the forest was stocked with wild animals, ones who liked to eat lost females for dinner. She'd bumped into a fox once, its fur was ginger red and its eyes flashed death signals. Allen had barked at it ferociously but the animal barely moved. It had stood there, daring them both to take another step. After what had seemed like forever, it turned and left. Bree hadn't realized she was holding her breath until she exhaled.

"Allen!" She yelled again. It was likely that with the way she shouted, another wild animal would bound towards her with a wide smile like hey sister, shouting is against the crib rules. You're shish kebab now.

Her knees were beginning to knock against each other. She'd lost track of time. She'd ventured into a killzone without a watch or a cellphone. It wasn't like there was magnificent internet in the middle of the forest but still. . .

"Flares. Next time, i bring flares." She muttered breathlessly. Just then, she heard a bark.

"Allen." She yelled and whistled again. This time, Allen came running towards her. She weakly got on her knees and put his collar around his neck. "please don't run off again. We have to go back now. We'll come again tomorrow when i'm well prepared."

She held on to the now short leash and they navigated their way out of the forest. Bree had never been so satisfied to see the lights in the town. It was past 7pm which meant she'd spent exactly five hours and a few extra minutes with Allen in the forest.

She returned him to Sawyer and told him of her fruitless search. Lucky for her, Sawyer was in high spirits and gave her all the encouragement she needed to hear. She headed for the elevator since her legs were too tired to even climb up one step.

She fell face first on her bed and exhaled. In her head, finding the monster had been easy but now she was convinced - her plan was easier said than done. She dragged herself into the shower and then made a huge meal for herself.

She was about to clear off the plates when her eye caught something sticking out of her backpack. She gasped in realization.

Norman's care package.

She had totally forgotten to open it. She hurriedly cleared out the table and went over to pick up the box then undid the ribbons. Inside was a small piece of green cardboard where a few words were boldly scribbled on the back.

I'm sorry. I love you.

It was in Norman's handwriting. Bree couldn't help smiling. She had been thinking of going to Norman to apologize for shoving his feelings to the side because of her own needs and he had already taken the first step. He was good at making sure she couldn't stay mad at him for long.

Bree checked the box but there was nothing else in it except for the cardboard. She put the box in a small basket near her mother's worktable where she'd stuffed the other package boxes. The basket was almost full and Bree was thinking of getting a new one when a knock made her turn.

She walked to the door and opened it. Norman was standing there, looking worried.

"Hey!" She said and he gently forced himself inside.

"Where have you been?" He asked calmly but before she could answer, he spoke up again. "I've been worried sick. I called you like a million times but you didn't pick up. I came over here to look for you a few hours ago and you weren't home. What is going on? Please tell me you did not go to see that lunatic again."

Bree wanted to answer all his questions at once but there was no way she could. "Norman you really don't have to worry about me."

"Did you go to see Timothy?" He asked. His face was expressionless like Sawyer's.

"No, no i did not. I just went to this fancy restaurant that just opened up and had a salad and. . ."

"You went to Genevieve's?" He asked. This time he looked hurt.

"Yeah, that's where i. . ." Bree's voice died down when she suddenly realized with a pang of guilt. Norman had been talking about taking her to a new fancy restaurant earlier, she realized now he meant Genevieve's. She immediately regretted having a good time with Sawyer at a place where her boyfriend had wanted to bring her.

"Oh my!" She exclaimed and covered her mouth slightly. Norman shook his head and turned to leave but she hurriedly went to stand in front of him. "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to go there, i was just going round and round in a cab and i got hungry and stopped to eat but it didn't realize you wanted to take me there."

"It probably might me being paranoid but you're different now, or at least you're acting different." Norman said in a low tone.

"What do you mean?" Bree asked knitting her eyebrows together.

"First you keep secrets, then you're playing build a snowman with a homeless psycho. You visit a restaurant i suggested for us behind my back and right after you run away to God knows where. You've never done things like this before."

"I'm still me, i promise. I'm not trying to make up excuses but i'm just really worked up." She said placing both hands on her temple.

Norman studied her for a few minutes then sighed. "I know you're under a lot of pressure and i want to help but i can't as long as that crank is involved. I'm here princess, for emotional support but i guess that's all i can do for now."

Bree felt all her heart strings intertwining like the cable of vines she'd seen at the entrance to Jim's. She couldn't bear to see Norman like that. Unless she pulled off from Jim, he couldn't help her and she could see that he wanted to.

Before she could ask why he resented Jim, Norman kissed her on the cheeks and bid her goodnight then left.

Bree slumped on the couch. Things weren't really going the way she hoped. She was exhausted, her knees and legs felt like Jell-O and her head ached really bad. She closed her eyes and dozed off, drifting into a familiar dream.

She was back in that room - the one with the graffiti painting on the roof but the painting had moved to the middle of the room, hanging a few inches off the ground. The escape hatch was still there with the sword still stuck halfway in it.

The room wasn't filled with colors. This time, a thick darkness swallowed up the place, the colors in the painting being the only source of light. Bree tapped her feet on the floor and judging from the echoes that followed, she was assured that the room stretched out and she wasn't anywhere close to the walls.

Bree took a careful step forward and the colors around the hatch hummed as if it had just exhaled. Bree paused. She wasn't much of a lucid dreamer but she was faintly aware that nothing in the room was real and couldn't hurt her. She took another step and then another until she was standing right in front of the hatch.

She pulled it open with ease this time and the sword dropped with a clang. She picked it up. It was the same one she'd seen before- silver and covered in foreign markings. It was heavier than the last time and Bree's arm began to ache from holding it.

She looked around the painting, there was nothing tangible. All the images done by Tate's crew on the library wall were still there; the beach, the basketball court, scenes from the Star Wars movie. Only the lollipop was now an escape hatch.

Escape hatch. Bree thought. It definitely had to mean something. And the sword, it wasn't an object she had come across. She remembered seeing it in her last dream but she had freed it from the hatch then only to find it back there again.

She lifted it with effort and studied it closely. The markings were blurry and so they looked like Chinese handwriting but Bree caught the image of a drooping plant carved near the hilt. It was so small Bree was surprised she had seen it and just like the rest of the markings, the image was blurry.

She turned the sword and it seemed to grow heavier. Without meaning to, Bree let it  drop and it sliced right through her palm - the same spot it had cut before.

She winced and dropped the blade, taking her bloody palm into her other hand to inspect it. As she did, she caught a glimpse of shimmering light. She looked down immediately and was lucky enough to see the sword fading and slowly appearing back in the hatch. The hatch had also slid to a close with the blade caught at the end.

Bree frowned. Her dream was stupid.

"You're so stupid." Someone yelled and Bree stirred and turned then opened her eyes.

"You're a pain in the ass and you're going to get me another pet hamster or i'm calling Davidson." Kate's voice rang across the room.

Bree groaned and stood up, her back threatening to break in two. She had slept sprawled out on the couch without any duvet or even pillows. She lazily stood up and walked over to the curtains to open them. She guessed it was still very early as the day looked a dull gray.

She showered and had breakfast then sat still pondering over her weird dream. She had gotten in twice - that had to mean something, probably a message.

"Gaius!" Kate yelled startling Bree. She scowled and stood up to go to the living room. She was beginning to hate Kate for this constant yells. Give the man and the rest of us a break.

She thought about her plan involving Tate. Was that why she kept seeing her graffiti in her dreams? could be a coincidence all the same. She ran downstairs to inform Sawyer that she would be going back to the mountains again.

She wore comfortable clothes and this time, she brought a flannel coat and something for Allen too. She thought the dog had gotten cold the last time too but couldn't say it because dogs don't talk. She packed up as many supplies as possible, doubling everything she'd taken with her the first time to prevent any shortage.

She was going to go as deep as possible to cover much ground. Sawyer had given her a map outlining the mountains so she could find her way in and out but Bree hadn't really studied the map.

She sat down on a stump near the gate, hunched over the large piece of paper when a bark made her lift her head. Allen came running towards her with so much speed before she could avoid him, he crashed into her and they both fell over.

"Oh man, you gotta stop running into me like that. I'm gonna break my backbone one day and then i can't walk anymore and that's going to be really bad for the both of us." She complained with a groan.

Allen got up and ran around Bree's head raising dust into the air. Bree shielded her eyes with both arms but the dust got in her hair.

"Yeah, good to see you too. You got a new leash, cool." She said then stood up and rolled up the map.

"So what do you say we move on to round 2?" She asked and Allen barked in response.

"I like your enthusiasm. It's the only thing that keeps me going, honestly." She said and took the leash and the pair walked out the gate.