Bree sniffed and opened her eyes, her senses flooded by the sweetest smell she'd ever perceived. She sat up, her brows creasing in wonder. The smell wasn't that of food or a perfume or even an air freshener.

She pushed the open laptop to the corner, forcing her legs out from under the duvet. She had fallen asleep some time between 4am and 28 different pages of research. She blinked and rubbed her eyes, trudging toward the door to find out where the sweet smell came from.

In the living room, the smell was a tad stronger but when Bree opened the door it became even stronger and more alluring. The hallway was empty and quiet since it was still very early in the morning. Bree suddenly had a very ugly feeling that she might be in another nightmare. She wasn't a very lucid dreamer but she dreamt in high definition - if that was a thing.

She pinched her arm and waited. Nothing happened. She pinched it again - harder, still nothing happened. It was becoming very difficult to tell what was a dream and what was real. She stood there contemplating on whether to go back to bed or look for where the mysterious smell came from.

The sound of a door knob turning made her lean out for a glance. Gaius walked out holding a small transparent tube filled with vaporizing liquid that was strangely bright red.

"Gaius?" Bree called startling the old man but thankfully, he did not drop his mixture.

"Good morning neighbor. You're up early." He greeted. The smile he wore would've been welcoming but Gaius had a nose plug on and so he looked quite scary to Bree.

He had on a white lab coat , huge googles and gloves. He looked like Science Bob but a much more oudated version.

"Yeah!" Bree said eyeing the bubbling red liquid in his hand then gulped. It looked like something that would explode at any minute. "Uh, Gaius, what you got there?"

Gaius laughed quietly and lifted the bottle to his eye level giving it a little shake. "Oh this, it's poppy."

Bree frowned. "Poppy? What's that?"

"A flower plant of the species Papaver, i call them nature's tranquilizers." He answered.

"Poppies!" Bree said wide eyed realizing why Gaius had his nose plugged. Inhaling poppies could cause one to go into deep sleep according to what she'd heard.

"Yes, poppies!" Gaius agreed.

"B-but what do you need poppies for? And why are you dressed like some scientist?" Bree asked.

"Because i am a scientist, botany is also a branch of the sciences you know." Gaius replied gazing at the rainbow kaleidoscope on Bree's top.

"Yeah but what do you need them for?" Bree asked.

Gaius tilted his head, a sad countenance rested on him. "Medicine."

"Huhn?"

Gaius sighed. "Every day i wish i'd gone to medical school but i was told i didn't have the brains for that. Don't ever let anybody tell you you don't have brains for stuff because you do." He sighed again and continued. "I believed that i wasn't good enough so i veered toward the plants because well, i grew up around them. My father was a farmer."

"Uh huhn!" Bree said, her mind half drifting away and wondering why she was talking about plants and med school with her neighbor.

"I always wanted to help provide medicine for sick people all across the world but i never got the chance. So i've been trying to find cures using different flowers and leaves and shrubs. I just want to help."

Bree's heart softened. She realized she had never spoken to Gaius about his profession or anything at all. She would definitely bag worst neighbor of the decade award. Gaius was a very smart man but he spoke very little. He was one of those people who had big dreams but found them crushed all of a sudden. His marriage to Kate only made things worse.

"That's really thoughtful of you Gaius." Bree said gently.

"Thank you. Although not so many people think so." He mumbled.

"So is the poppy some kind of medicine too?" She asked pointing at the glass tube.

"Oh no, this is for Kate." He replied innocently.

At first Bree wanted to laugh at the thought that Gaius was trying to put his wife to sleep and also at the fact that she supported his idea but something about his tone sounded completely harmless.

"Oh, is it a gift?" Bree asked leaning against the door frame.

"Yes, i'm uh making a special perfume for her." He replied with another weird smile. That one looked mischievous.

"Won't it put her to sleep?" Bree asked carefully but Gaius only chuckled probably because the thought had crossed his mind too.

"No, it's not going to after i'm done with it. I just hope she loves it." He said caressing the bottle.

Bree almost felt like crying. Kate had no right to be mean to someone like Gaius. All he thought about was making her happy and all she thought about was balancing her coffee cup on the table every morning.

"I'm sure she'll love it. It has a wonderful color too and it smells amazing already." Bree said with a smile. She wondered why she hadn't doubled over snoring with how close Gaius was with the mixture. The heavy mist emanating from the bottle blew toward him but the fragrance spread all across the hallway. Bree wondered if the vapor was much stronger because he held the bottle and that was why he clipped his nose.

Gaius raised a finger as if trying to recall something. "You know what, wait here."

Bree raised her eyebrows questioningly as he lumbered back into his apartment then came outside a few seconds later. She noticed he moved gently possibly to avoid waking the Kraken, Kate.

In his other hand, he now held a vial that blared the same color as the one in his science tubey thingy. He handed the vial over to Bree.

"What is this?" Bree asked rolling the glass bottle in her hand.

"Careful, that's unadulterated pollen from the poppy plant. It's pure and very non lethal but highly intoxicating, one sniff and you would fall asleep for God knows how long."

Bree became alarmed but struggled to keep calm. "What would i do with pure poppy pollen?"

"Poppy always comes in handy." Gaius said wagging his finger. "Think of it as pepper spray. What is pepper spray for?"

"Self defense." Bree replied.

"Exactly but the poppy pollen is better because it works within seconds like a blow dart but with a sweet smelling touch to it."

Bree laughed making Gaius laugh as well.

"Thank you Gaius. I'll keep this handy." Bree said.

"You're welcome neighbor. Have a nice day." With that, Gaius turned and headed for the stairs.

Bree backed up into her apartment and shut the door. She examined the bottle. It was about four inches long and looked like it was made out of Plexiglass but Bree knew this was fragile glass. The color of the liquid was beautifully vibrant and almost reflected on her palm.

The sweet smell hung around the entire building until everyone woke up and started questioning one another about the mysterious scent. Slowly, the scent faded off and Bree realized she was disappointed with the regular smell of Oakwood.

She prepared breakfast for her mother then took a shower. It was a Thursday and she didn't have to place an order for pig roast for Beasley anymore. She hadn't gone back to Amy's but she had spoken to her about not coming back since her mother was okay now. Amy had even paid Melinda a visit bringing a whole basket of muffins with her.

Bree wrapped herself in a towel and sat in her vanity stool which was actually a chair that used to be her dad's. She brushed her hair allowing her mind wander off to many things beginning with her over the top anxiety. She had a really weird sixth sense that would blare whenever danger was close by, just like in that weird dream she had previously. She wondered what it meant and why she had been dreaming of a world that looked too unreal yet had felt so real. Note to self - dreams are weird!

She pulled out her hand dryer and plugged it in then proceeded to dry her hair. The dryer was broken and would sometimes make noises like a lawnmower. Bree made a mental note to get a new one probably from the salon where Pauline worked. Her mind had went on the fritz much like her dryer that she didn't realize her door had opened.

"Hey!"

Bree turned and found her mother standing by the door. She turned off the dryer and put it down.

"Hey mom, morning. Didn't hear you come in."

"You look worried. Are you okay?" Melinda asked folding both arms across her goatskin sweater.

Bree made a face and gave a short laugh that sounded like a scoff. "Do i look. . . not okay?"

"Yeah you do and you were drying your hair that's already dry." Melinda pointed out.

Bree slumped her head backwards knowing that her mother could read her emotions no matter how hard she tried to hide them.

"I'm fine mom. But are you feeling okay because. . ." Bree stopped and turned again then slowly stood up. She hadn't realized Melinda was literally standing by the door without support - without her wheelchair.

"Mom?" Bree called somewhere in between alarm and surprise.

Melinda smiled and moved away from the door frame. "I know. I can walk on my own now without falling on my face. I'm fine."

Bree stifled a joyous laugh. "But Dr Palmer said. . ."

Melinda came forward and held Bree's arms. "Forget about what Dr Palmer said, i'm okay now. I can move around without my wheelchair and it feels great."

"You really don't get numb anymore?" Bree asked raising an eyebrow.

"No i don't. I don't understand how i'm fine but i'm thankful that i am because now i can sneak in on you talking to boys over the phone."

"Mom!" Bree protested in a high pitched tone.

Melinda laughed and embraced her. "I'm just kidding.

"Well it's great that you're better now because we can go out. You have to eat at Genevieve's. They have like the best Caesar salad you would ever taste. We should go today."

Melinda studied Bree for a second. "Aren't you busy?"

"No. At least not until five i'm not." Bree replied with a shrug.

"You should check your schedule to make sure." Melinda said.

Bree noticed a hint of disappointment in her tone. "What do you mean by that?"

Melinda sighed and went over to the dresser. She sat in the chair while Bree leaned on the woodwork. "I wanted to talk to you that's why i came in here."

Bree nodded, trying to recall if she'd done anything that had invoked this talk . Melinda did not look happy at all but she didn't look annoyed either. "What about?"

Melinda took a breath, opened her mouth then shut it again. She looked like she was trying to form words but nothing was working. "I'm really concerned about you, Bree."

Bree perked up ever so slightly. Oh no, mom's concerned. Run!

"You see, i found a backpack underneath my study table yesterday."

Bree shut her eyes in exasperation but made sure her mother did not notice. Busted! How did we forget about the backpack?! Ding dang it!

"Uh huhn!" Bree urged for continuity. She tried to stay composed but some Beasley had rubbed off on her and she suddenly felt like fiddling with an item. She picked up her hairbrush and began to tug at the tips of it.

"The backpack wasn't all my concern, Bree. It's that quiver full of bloody arrows."

Bree's breath hitched. Holy cheese and crackers, we're dead! We're so dead! Beasley's bloody arrows are still in the quiver. Ding dang it....again!

"Oh, those! That's nothing!" Bree said waving her hand dismissively even though she wanted to bolt out of the room.

"Nothing? There's animal blood smeared across arrows in a quiver that god knows where you got them from and why you even needed them. There's a map in your backpack, a map of the forest and circled spots in red marker and there's flares and blow torches. What have you been doing?"

Melinda had said everything in one breath and Bree feared she would turn blue but she looked fine. Bree put down the hairbrush and stood up, trying to think up a reasonable explanation. She couldn't tell her mother about Beasley, maybe not just yet.

"I uh. . ." she started. Melinda leaned forward, keen on hearing what her daughter had to say.

"I've been taking hunting lessons from Sawyer." Bree blurted. Nice going girl!

"What?" Melinda asked looking perplexed.

"I said. . . i've been taking. . . hunting lessons from Sawyer." Bree recounted carefully. She wouldn't want to mess up the lie she'd already messed up by lying.

"Why?" Melinda asked. "Hunting lessons in the forest? You promised me you weren't doing anything dangerous, Bree."

"I'm not. I just hunt rabbits and cute little rats but that's it." Bree replied. Whoops! Another lie, can't stop now!

"Since when did you pick interest in hunting?" Melinda challenged crossing her arms. uh-oh, the mom power move.

"It's a recreational sport. It's literally exercise, i mean you want me to stay fit don't you?" Bree said spreading both arms. She didn't do much in convincing her own self that she sounded sensible.

Melinda did not look convinced either. "Go to the gym if you want exercise. Run a mile, walk a thousand steps a day or probably walk Allen if you want to but going into the forest because it's a recreational sport, that's completely out of the picture."

Bree made to speak but Melinda intercepted with a finger. "And why do you still keep those bloody arrows? You could've disposed of them right away, not that i accept you using arrows but those things could be infected. We could catch a disease or something."

"Mom, they're just souvenirs." Bree sighed in exasperation. She was losing this argument faster than she'd thought.

"Bloody souvenirs, that's what they are. Souvenirs that are going in the trash right this minute, that's what they are. And flares? Blow torches? Those are what? Play things for when you get bored chasing rabbits? Do you want to give me another heart attack, Bree?"

"Mom!" Bree shouted raising both hands to her head.

Melinda quieted down mostly because she'd already run out of breath.

"Can you just stop?" Bree asked then walked back into her bathroom.

Melinda stood there for a while then finally decided to leave. Bree peeked out when she heard her room door close. She sighed and went over to her bed, slumping ontop of it like a felled tree.

She shut her eyes for a minute then stood up and dressed. She suddenly did not feel like going to Genevieve's anymore. It had been more than five years since the last time she argued with Melinda. That had been when Melinda had told Bree they would be moving to Maine for the rest of their lives. Bree had been hoping they would move to France or any other place in Europe, her hopes had been shattered to pieces. She got so angry that she had wished Melinda wasn't her mother.

Bree sat on her bed and pulled out her laptop. She didn't have any breakfast since her appetite had somehow sneaked out of the room during the argument. She looked up more information on Villeneuve but the same results kept popping up.

During her reserach, she had come across places named Villeneuve but there were only 23 such places in the world, 19 of which were located in France - no surprises. Bree clicked through each one trying to find a match for Beasley's map and also trying to not chew her tongue off while she pronounced their names.

"Ville d'Aosta, Italy." She mumbled. The other three Villeneuves were located in Vaud, Switzerland - Quebec, Canada and Queensland, Australia.

Bree took out a pen and paper, writing down as much details as she could. Beasley could read, no surprises there so there was no need for her to explain much.

The most prominent Villeneuve according to her research, was a movie director named Dennis Villeneuve but Bree didn't feel she needed to write his name down.

She folded the paper and shut off her laptop then made to stand up when a gentle knock made her halt. Melinda was back. Bree sighed. Her mother couldn't stay angry for long and whether she was wrong or right, she apologized.

"Bree, can i come in?" Melinda asked, her voice sounded muffled as though she had her mouth pressed to the door.

"Come in." Bree said and the door opened. Melinda peeked in and for a scary split second, Bree felt she was looking at her reflection but like in the future. She looked so much like her mother and even she could see it sometimes.

Melinda had her goatskin sweater on and black jeans. She was barefeet but Bree didn't complain. She had installed warm rugs everywhere in the house except the bathrooms of course. Her hair was rolled in a bun and was a tad longer than Bree's although much darker in color.

She carefully sat next to Bree and took her hand. "I'm sorry, honey."

Bree almost rolled her eyes. She could predict everything her mother was going to do but at the same time, she was glad her mother always wanted to understand even if it was difficult. "I know mom, i'm sorry too."

"I just want you to be safe, i hope you understand that." Melinda said quietly.

"I do." Bree said with a nod.

Ever since her husband had passed and she'd lost her second pregnancy, Melinda kept her eyes on Bree like a mother hen on the lookout for a hawk. She would rather lose herself than another member of her family. Melinda was an only child and so Bree didn't have any aunties and uncles from her side. Benjamin though, Bree's father, had so many siblings it was hard to remember what their names were or even what they looked like.

Bree sometimes walked past an uncle or an aunt without even realizing it. She'd had so many funny encounters with family members that thinking back to them made her laugh.

"If you want to keep engaging in your recreational sport then that's fine with me. Rabbits aren't bad." Melinda said.

And there it is! Bree thought in amusement. Melinda would always pinpoint the safe reason. Rabbits aren't bad!. Are teleporting beasts bad?

"They're not. They're cute actually, very cute." Bree said. She'd come across a few rabbits in the forest but they hated being spotted. They'd probably heard about the unlucky rodent Beasley caught and was staying well out of sight for their own good.

Melinda's eyes wandered to the folded piece of paper in her hand. "Is that your missing sketch?"

Bree looked down. "Oh no, it's not. This is just a little research thing, not important."

"Okay, so are we still going to Genevieve's?" Melinda asked looking very hopeful.

Bree smiled. "Sure we are."

Life was looking pretty good for Bree even with the bad days, she just had to enjoy the good moments while they lasted.

And they wouldn't last very long.