"So you spoke to the thief?" Bruno asked with one eyebrow raised in suspicion.

Bree's hands were tucked behind her and she stood with one foot slightly twisted. She silently prayed Bruno would not ask too much questions but then, he wasn't so gullible.

"I did."

"What does he look like?"

Bree chewed her bottom lip. "Not important."

"Why didn't you bring him to me?"

She heaved a sigh. "that is because, Bruno, unlike you i have pity on people."

"This isn't about pity. He's a thief. He steals from innocent people." Bruno admonished with a hand gesture.

Bree wanted to scoff at the word innocent but she looked away instead.

"Well, he's not going to do it anymore." She stated.

Bruno sized her up. She could tell he was still suspecting her and the way his eyes seemed to burn into hers made her want to spill her guts.

"I'm not buying it." He said with a sly smile.

Bree tilted her head. "Okay?"

"You're hiding something." He walked to the back of his van and pulled out a brown leather bag. Bree feared he had some kind of evidence inside but he only pulled a jacket out and put it on.

"What do you think i'm hiding?" Bree asked.

"Nothing. I just think you're not being honest." He said with a shrug.

Bree kissed her teeth. "Hmm, you really have a way with those words, don't you?"

"What?"

"You promised to let those men go if i gave you proof concerning the pig snatcher. Well, my proof is my word and the assurance that no more pigs will ever go missing from the pen."

"I said i needed to see the thief." Bruno said crossing his arms. He smelled like coconut and air freshener. Bree had to move a step back to keep herself from gagging.

"Well, i sorted the whole thing out so stop whining. You get your peace, i get my payment and those poor men get their freedom. It's a win-win for everyone." Bree blurted.

At first, Bruno looked like he was going to get mad but then he sighed and opened the door of his van. He leaned inside it for a couple of minutes then came out and handed Bree a cheque.

"I guess a deal is a deal. You brought proof nohow so you can keep your job and i'll let those men go." He said in defeat.

"Thank you. See, that wasn't so hard." Bree breathed.

He squinted his eyes. "No, it wasn't. You have a strange sway over people you know."

"Believe me, if i really did. . ." she paused to hold back the rest of the sentence then walked away. "Later, Bruno."

She took a cab home and cooked dinner for herself, all the while recounting her experience from her very first day in the pen to the encounter in the forest.

First, she was a fanatic for fantasy so Pauline had been absolutely right about that bit. Then to make things worse, she had come across a creature that was entirely out of this world thereby confirming that she was not at all a fanatic and the rest of the town was probably just blind.

She thought about how she'd first met Beasley as it had called itself. A memory that was still stuck in her mind like fresh pebbles in a clear lake. She thought about how it had tried to kill her right after paralyzing her arm.

Of course.

She had indeed broken an arm but the very next day, it felt like nothing had happened. It had to be some sort of magic. She watched the creature fix things in its cave and it had done so at the Pendulum so maybe fixing whatever it touched did not exclude her broken arm.

It was very complicated But Bree strongly believed that that was what happened. Now, she couldn't help the excitement she felt.

Why? One might ask.

Well, imagine that a mad scientist held on to a particular theory - the possibility of resurrecting the dead through mad science of course(not Frankenstein). And after so many years of not being believed, he finally proves it.

Bree felt that way - excitement over the fact that her obsession with fantasy wasn't just an obsession. It was indeed very real. At the same time, she was terrified.

What to do with this realization?

Nobody would believe her of course and Beasley wasn't exactly a people person. He would not go around signing autographs and taking selfies. He was a dangerous hybrid specie and possibly the only one of his kind. And yes, he was a he. He definitely did not sound female at all.

She thought about the part of the forest where he lived. It was almost unreal, like it was not supposed to be there. It was the only location that was freezing that much. And how he had put pieces of stone together without glue or cement - that still rocked her mind.

And the map.

Bree looked down at her plate and could almost imagine the map on it. Why did he have a map so vivid that the places almost came to life?

Bree had stared longer at the roller coaster seats that probably symbolized a popular part of London. She could've sworn the seats looked like they were rotating from her view atop the boulder.

He was probably marking all of the places he'd been to. But why?

Bree picked up her plate and tossed it in the sink. She suddenly became overwhelmed with the desire to go back to the forest.

"No jumping jacks in the living room, you weasel." Kate yelled.

Bree shook her head and picked up her phone. Now she had a duty of ordering roast pig twice a week to keep her new acquaintance from snatching live ones. Good thing that paycheck came in already.

She placed the order and tucked her phone in her back pocket then ventured outside. In the lobby, she bumped into Fallon - the eldest triplet.

"well, look who it is!" Fallon squeaked. She wore a white chiffon top tucked in a gold skirt and gold heels. From a distance, she looked like something King Midas touched.

"Fallon." Bree acknowledged. The triplets were usually too much to handle together but one meant less trouble and Bree enjoyed messing with them individually.

"I heard a really juicy gossip about a week ago." Fallon said twirling her hair. Her English sounded like something straight out of a dubbed Bollywood movie and Bree kind of liked it except that her voice sounded much like jungle bells. Annoying jingle bells.

"Hmm, i wonder why you're telling me today. Usually, gossips don't last a week without going around." Bree said feigning ignorance. She knew very well what gossip Fallon referred to.

"Well, this one has to do with you." Fallon said dismissively as though Bree was an unimportant piece of a puzzle.

"Wow. I'm honored." Bree said touching her chest in mock flattery. "what exactly is this gossip about me?"

"I heard you've been going out with Norman and that you broke his heart." At the last sentence, Fallon looked like she was going to pounce making Bree move backwards.

"I broke his heart?" Bree asked, almost like she had trouble believing it but it was true.

"Yes. You're a heartless little wretch and he doesn't deserve you." Fallon said in the usual overdramatic damsel-gone-head-over-heels kind of way.

"and who does he deserve? You? Pffft!" Bree scoffed with a mock grin but the look on Fallon's face made her smile drop.

"Of course, he deserves me. I'm way better than you in every way." Fallon boasted. Her golden skirt looked like ripples passed through it as her legs moved and Bree could not help getting distracted by it. As Fallon spoke, Hailey and Sally emerged from behind her wearing their signature colors - white and burgundy. Bree saw them and held back laughter.

This just got interesting! She thought.

"So you're saying you're better than everyone else including your sisters?" She asked.

"Duh. They're both in over their heads. I'm the eldest which means i'm the best at everything and i deserve Norman all to myself."

Hailey and Sally gasped quietly in shock and placed their hands on their chest but they did not attempt to interrupt just yet. Bree took that as an avenue to keep Fallon talking. Tony stood by the counter with a look of amusement on his face. He was also enjoying the scene as his gaze constantly moved from one end of the room to the other.

"I personally think Hailey is the best amongst you three." Bree said and a smug look spread across Hailey's face as she bopped her head from side to side. Sally, on the other hand, just looked shocked and offended.

"Hailey? Bah. She's not even half as good as me. She might have the largest makeup kit but she's as dumb as a doorknob. I'm the smartest, the prettiest and the funniest too. Norman loves funny girls." Fallon said and gave a high pitched laughter.

"You're right, Fallon. You definitely deserve Norman all to yourself." Bree nodded. Fallon suddenly wore a look of suspicion.

"Why do you think so all of a sudden? I thought you supported my sister, the one that's less than."

"I did but now i support you and i think you should turn around." Bree said clasping her hands together.

Fallon looked confused for a split second but she turned and found her sisters glaring at her.

"You three have some serious sibling issues." Bree said tapping Fallon's arm then proceeded to leave but stood by the door instead.

"You did this." Fallon cried fuming at Bree.

"You think i'm less than?" Hailey wailed. "what does that even mean?"

"Norman is mine, okay you two? Mine. He broke up with that pest so he can be with me." Sally said stomping her foot. Her burgundy sleeves looked chic except that she wore suspenders with them.

"Pest?" Bree asked in shock. She looked over to Tony who was now laughing at the scene.

"He's mine. You're both fools." Fallon said.

"You're the dumbest amongst all three of us." Hailey said pointing at Fallon who gasped in disbelief.

"I'm going to show you." Fallon said and began to take off her heels.

Bree rushed over to Tony and tapped the counter in excitement. "Here it comes!"

Within the next second, the triplets were a pile of colors on the floor - rolling on top of each other, screaming, kicking and pulling each other's hair.

Bree and Tony stood by the counter laughing at the scene. One or two persons occasionally tried to separate the siblings but they would end up with a kick in the jaw or a nasty bite.

"This is better than anything i've seen on Tv ever since i got here." Tony confessed.

"What's going on?" Someone asked from the staircase and Bree turned. Norman stood there with his eyes fixed on the fighting trio. Immediately they saw him, they stood up whilst clumsily knocking against themselves.

"I'll tell you what's going on, Norman." Fallon spat and proceeded to explain what had transpired.

"She put us against ourselves." Sally pointed accusingly at Bree.

"You've gotta be kidding me, i did nothing." Bree said with a small laugh.

Norman's eyes danced around her like they normally did and he could tell Bree had pitched the girls to fight one another. She had tricked them countless times so they would come after him. She had claimed it was just innocent fun and nothing else.

"Mr Bates, the young lady had absolutely nothing to do with whatever fight ensued, i assure you." Tony intervened in the most believable way.

Bree looked at him in surprise then winked at the last minute. Finally, an ally!

"Alright then. . ." Norman started to say.

"WHAT?" Fallon screamed. "You believe her?"

"She's lying. She made us fight." Sally whined.

"I think it was all Fallon's fault." Hailey grumbled and Fallon shot her a look that made her keep quiet.

"You're all grown ups. You could've talked it out." Norman said.

Fallon sputtered whilst fiddling with her skirt. "Yeah but we wouldn't have fought in the first place if she hadn't. . ."

"You could've talked about it either way than getting physical. Sometimes being honest fixes things." Norman said and shot Bree a knowing look. She knew he was directing the sentence at her.

She rolled her eyes and walked out of the lobby leaving everyone else behind. Norman still wasn't over their break up and according to Fallon, Bree had supposedly broken his heart.

She walked to the gate and spotted Allen chasing after something on the ground. She whistled making him look up and he barked.

"Hey boy!" She said. Allen was the smartest dog she had ever come across even though he was unbearably annoying. As hoped, he'd found his way back home. Sawyer had been worried thinking something bad happened to Bree but she came back right after to explain things to him. She told him she'd found the thief and they managed to reach a compromise.

She looked at her phone. Her order had been delivered right on time.

"Dinner time." She muttered and walked out into the street to hail a cab.

She picked up her order at Roti's and headed for the farmhouse. She would resume work by evening but she had to feed another animal first.

She placed the meal by the clover patches picnic style and headed back to the Pendulum. She wanted to wait and watch Beasley come for it.

Only a couple of minutes passed before the trees began to shiver ever so slightly. Bree placed a hand on the ground in a crouching position as the creature emerged

At first, it looked reluctant to approach the open but then it slowly revealed itself and headed toward the picnic mat. Bree had been kind enough to support the dish with spicy BBQ baked beans but Beasley ignored them.

"Ugh, that is rude." Bree spat in disappointment.

When she turned to look again, it was gone.

"Pff, showoff!" She said rolling her eyes and walked away.

She got a cab and stopped by the hospital to visit her mother. The nurses did a good job making sure Melinda looked refreshed. Bree did not want to ask how they managed it but her mother looked better than the last time she had seen her.

Her brown her had been probably washed and combed - probably. Her face did not look so pale even though she hadn't woken up in months, her sleeping position wasn't the same. Her arms had been moved to rest on her chest and her head slightly tilted toward the left. It almost made Bree believe that at some point, Melinda stirred in her sleep.

Bree also read somewhere that people could remain in coma for over twenty years and she did not want to think of what her life would look like if her mother slept for 20 years.

She would be 40 by then, if that happened.

40? What would i be doing at 40? Bree thought. Wait, why am i thinking about what i would be doing at 40?

"Good afternoon Ms." Melinda's doctor greeted as he entered the room. He was elderly and could pass as her grandfather but Bree doubted her grandfather would have looked as good as Dr Palmer. Melinda had told her once that her good old pa had died from a drug abuse. The description Bree had gotten of her grandfather did not match Dr Palmer at all.

Palmer was probably in his late sixties, with vibrant red beard that looked like a burning bush on his face. He had bright eyes with wrinkles at the corner that indicated he smiled a lot. He wasn't the tallest doctor around but he definitely looked smarter.

Bree sometimes wondered how he could guess her mother's temperature without touching her.

"Dr Palmer, hello." Bree said rolling down her sleeves.

"I hear you've settled the bills which means there's enough medications for your dear mother. She will receive nutrients and liquids through that vein tube so that she doesn't starve or dehydrate. She will also be getting electrolytes that help regulate body processes." He explained.

"That's good to know." Bree said and placed a hand on her mother's. She had learned to get by on her own, without a parent by her side and sometimes she even forgot she had a parent. Bree hated herself during times like that.

Dr Palmer pulled a seat on the other side of the bed.

"There is an improvement of late, ms Bree." Dr Palmer said.

Bree's face threatened to break apart with joy but she calmed herself just in case the improvement wasn't that satisfying.

"What is that?"

The doctor placed his stethoscope on the bed and crossed his arms.

"I've noticed your mother's brain activity has increased a little bit."

"What does that mean?" Bree asked sitting up.

"The nurses tell me that whenever you visit, you talk to your mother at length. Is that true?"

Bree hesitated. "Y-yes, that is true."

Dr Palmer smiled and the wrinkles around his eyes deepened making him look even friendlier.

"You see my dear, sometimes when someone is comatose, talking to them helps awaken their unconscious brain and speed up recovery. Your mother may be unresponsive but her brain can still pick up the sound of your voice. Your voice is a familiar one which makes it even better."

Bree couldn't hold back the tear stinging the corner of her eyes. "Are you saying. . . are you saying that my mother could wake up?"

"I'm saying that your mother is already on the road to recovery."

Bree covered her mouth in shock as tears cascaded down her face.

"We've never had someone remain in coma longer than 4 weeks. Your mother's case beats me but now, we can look to the bright side. She moved a finger this morning."

"She did?" Bree asked in between laughing and sobbing.

"Indeed. If this goes on constantly over the next few weeks, your mother will most probably wake up. You have done a commendable job taking care of her, you contributed to her recovery in more ways than you know."

Bree stood up and gently hugged her mother. She was already itching to hear her voice again, to be hugged back. She even wanted to hear her yell or snap whenever Bree toppled her work desk. She promised herself that she wouldn't stop visiting, she would not stop talking to her mother until the day she opened her eyes.

"Mommy!" She whispered, tears rolling from her eyes onto Melinda's hand.